By Andrew Bansal
October 26th 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Japanese metal veterans Loudness embarked on a highly anticipated US headline tour in October 2015, and arrived on the Sunset Strip for a gig at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood last Monday October 26th. With memories from the band’s 2011 Key Club show still strong, their LA area fans flocked to the Whisky with tremendous eagerness and excitement, and Loudness were poised to deliver their much loved and revered brand of old-school heavy metal in front of a completely packed house.
Prior to the show, I ventured to the Rock ‘N Reilly’s Irish Pub next door to the Whisky to pre-game with a drink or two, and this being my first time inside this building since it took over from the Cat Club, I discovered that it was certainly nowhere near as cool as the Cat Club. With some more time to kill and upon a friend’s insistence, I walked further down to the Rainbow Bar & Grill, and upon arriving there we were hit with the realization that neither of us remembered the fact that the place was actually closed due to health code violations/plumbing issues for the past few days. We laughed for ten minutes straight and headed back to the Whisky.
At 11:30, Loudness made the most low-key entrance anyone has ever made onto this stage. There was no intro sample, no blackout of the lights, the house music was still playing, and before anyone realized it, the four members of the band were on stage, ready to start. It was quite a surprise that they started with one of their most popular songs, the 1985 classic ‘Crazy Nights’, as one would expect them to hold that one back till the encore. But it worked well, got the audience involved straightaway, and the rest of the set carried the same energy from the band and fans alike.
With an incredibly prolific 26-album discography that they’ve put out over the past 34 years, it’s always a challenge for Loudness to compile a set list that does justice to their repertoire, specially with certain songs always demanded by fans. Even though they’d perhaps never be able to come up with the perfect set, they do change it up on every tour. Aside from two tunes from the latest album ‘The Sun Will Rise Again’ (2014), this particular 14-song set comprised material solely from albums released between 1981 and ’87, focusing heavily on the ‘Thunder In The East’ and ‘Lightning Strikes’ albums, as expected, but going all the way back to the ’81 debut effort ‘The Birthday Eve’, with the song ‘Street Woman’. The new songs blended in perfectly and loyal fans appreciated it, but loved every bit of the older material.
Performance-wise, guitarist Akira Takasaki fully lived up to his legend with a sparkling exhibition of six-string mastery, and even after all these years, still genuinely looks like he enjoys playing his instrument and revels in the spotlight. Takasaki, bassist Masayoshi Yamashita and vocalist Minoru Nihara together comprise three-fourths of the original Loudness lineup and with Masayuki Suzuki on drums since 2009, they are still putting forth a glorious representation of all things Loudness. Nihara’s vocal delivery and energy was commendable at this show, and Loudness’ over-the-top yet no-nonsense brand of classic heavy metal was quite satiating for metalheads in attendance and inspirational for the young musicians among them. The 70-minute duration of the set was apt for the age of the original Loudness members, and anyone with a quality-over-quantity attitude should be applauded for it.
Whatever the haters of the Whisky may want to say, the clear emphasis on melodies and the undeniable old-school glam rock element in Loudness’ music makes the Sunset Strip the ideal setting for them, and they could not have picked a venue better than the Whisky for this event. Loudness are as enjoyable in 2015 as they ever have been, and true worshippers of all things old-school metal all over the world need to serve themselves the healthy dosage of a live Loudness show at the next available opportunity.
Set List:
01. Crazy Nights
02. Like Hell
03. Heavy Chains
04. The Sun Will Rise Again
05. In My Dreams
06. Street Woman
07. Black Star Oblivion
08. We Could Be Together
09. Let It Go
10. Clockwork Toy
11. In the Mirror
12. Mortality
13. Crazy Doctor
14. S.D.I.
Remaining US Tour Dates:
10/29 – Mesa AZ @ Club Red
10/30 – Las Vegas, NV @ Vamp’d
10/31 – Ramona, CA @ Ramona Mainstage
11/04 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Thunder Alley
11/05 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live
11/06 – San Antonio, TX @ The Korova
11/07 – Houston, TX @ Eastdown Warehouse
If you like what you’ve read, support Metal Assault and buy us a drink: