Given that it is so early in the year the number of tours currently doing the rounds of the UK is pretty impressive.  Indeed gigs are so coming thick and fast  it must be seriously testing the wallets of many fans and, as a result, this probably means that many music lovers will be cherry picking what they spend their hard earned dosh on. Judging by the packed Academy 2 however The Almighty's 20th Anniversary tour many must have decided was not to be missed.

Guests on this tour were Australia's “Head Inc”. For those who may have been looking at the bass player and thinking that he looked familiar, you would be right  as he's non other than Steve King, bassist for those legendary rockers Rose Tattoo. Head Inc's set incorporated ten songs of in your face rock with a punk edge and attitude thrown in for good measure. It's obvious that the quartet were grabbing the opportunity of playing in the UK by the balls and giving it their all and, it’s fair to say, they made a real impression on those inside the Academy as the applause got steadily louder as the set progressed. Indeed the last three songs, namely” Don’t Look Now”,” Smack Your Up” and “No Return”, were quite frankly superb and the guitar player's theatrics as he climbed onto the side stacks just put the icing on what was a very impressive set.

As the lights dimmed and the speakers blasted out “Flight Of The Valkries” the scene was well and truly set and, as the Almighty finally took to the stage, the roar from the crowd could have blown the roof clean off. This was to be a show  that proved to be a lesson in hard rock, a total tour de force of hard hitting in your face songs played by rock warriors. The sound throughout was superb and the soundman deserves a medal as the two guitar sounds were mixed perfectly for maximum crunch, resulting in a gloriously punchy delivery.

As mentioned earlier this tour was a celebration of twenty years in the business for The Almighty and the band seemed determined to touch on all eras of their career as they stormed through twenty two songs in just short of one hour and fifty minutes, which one could say was value for money. Ricky Warwick took many opportunities to the thank the fans for sticking with them down the years and it was said with the utmost sincerity. Highlights within the set were many and varied as the set list was very much every Almighty fan's dream come true. Picking just a few well  “Crucify”, ”Gifthorse”, ”Blood, Fire & Love” and “Addiction”, where the band showed that when it comes to tight slabs of attitude laden rock they are one of the best of the business, spring to mind but that would be leaving out far more than can be mentioned. “Full Force Lovin’ Machine” had the audience singing their hearts out and by the time the set reached the anthemic “Wild & Wonderful” and “Free & Easy” it’s safe to say every single person in the room was singing themselves hoarse.

There was never any doubt of an encore and  firstly “Little Lost Sometimes” lulled people into a false sense of security before the Almighty finally rounded out the evening with a frantic and frenzied cover of The Beastie Boy's “Sabotage”. So did the band live up to their “All Fuckin’ Mighty” moniker? On this evidence “too fuckin’ right they did”.

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