It’s a sobering thought to think that Great White are currently celebrating twenty five years in the music business, well it's actually  twenty six years but what's a year between friends. In the late eighties the band rode the crest of a wave, hitting the top ten Billboard album charts in the US and being staples of the nascent MTV scene. The nineties of course were a different matter. Everyone knows that decade saw many of the eighties bands disappearing off the radar as grunge wielded its mighty, but ungainly, scythe. Great White however were one of the few that managed to survive, albeit losing the muscle of their Capitol record deal along the way but still releasing albums on smaller labels over the years.

2001 finally saw the band come to an end, only to be reconvened within twelve months at the request of vocalist Jack Russell. It's been well documented as to what happened in 2003 when a club gig in America went terribly wrong and it’s a miracle and testament to the bands strength that they have managed to bounce back from such a tragedy at all. Indeed 2007 saw the band release “Back To The Rhythm”, a classic slab of Great White if ever there was one and, as a result of that album gathering deserved praise, the band have finally made it over to the UK for the first time in nigh on eight years.

Opening the first show on the tour were Sheffield's “Crimes Of Passion”. It has to be said that they are one of the hardest working UK bands around. Every time I see this band play they grow in stature thanks to tight performances from all involved but mainly due to the fact that they have some very powerful material up their sleeves with songs like “Unbreakable” and “Fight You On Your Own”. They also have a distinctive guitar stylist in Andy Lindsay who favours dropped guitar tunings giving the band’s music extra depth. They certainly entertained the growing audience who warmed to their set as it progressed and will have done themselves no harm in furthering their cause here in Newcastle.

Great White took to the stage to a huge roar from the nigh on full Academy 2, and the sound barely settled down from that point on. .Opening with the double whammy of “Desert Moon” and “Rose Motel” they then launched into one of their biggest hit's “Face The Day”, a song which had the entire Academy singing along each time the chorus came round. The look on Jack Russell’s face was a picture as it began to dawn on him and his bandmates that he was in front of an audience hungry for Great White. “Back To The Rhythm” came next and,  rather than just blast through past glories, the band included numerous surprises in the set, the first being “Paradise” a song from Jack’s solo album. The second was “Rooster” sung by, and from, a solo album by guitarist Mark Kendall.

By this point The party atmosphere was really hotting up with and the sleazy “Mistabone” moved things along apace before Sean McNabb was next to take the microphone to serve up a cover of Robin Trower's “Day Of the Eagle” which was delivered in fine style. The set tempo kept moving with “Rollin’ and just to prove the band are all accomplished singers in their own right guitarist Michael Lardie gave the band a breather thanks to his offering of the mid-tempo ballad “Lovin’ Kind”. Mind you a breather was needed as the band came alive again launching into “Can’t Shake It”, complete with deafening audience backing vocals before closing the main set out with “Rock Me”.

There was never any doubt that the band would return for an encore and it was fair to say a lot of people were waiting patiently to sing along with arguably the band's biggest hit “Once Bitten Twice Shy”. That wish was duly granted as the band closed out the show with said song, but only after they had romped through a spirited version of “Call It Rock n Roll” first. This gig was a reminder of what a great rock and roll band Great White are, and always have been. Forget trends, currently hip styles and scenes, it's all about the songs, of which Great White have many great ones.  Maybe that’s the secret to their ongoing survival and one sincerely hopes, success.

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