Uriah Heep, April Wine, Tyketto – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester: Live Review

Mike Ainscoe

1 year ago

Uriah Heep, April Wine, Tyketto – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Tuesday 25th February 2025

It’s The Magician’s Farewell. One last round of touring for Uriah Heep who, to give them thie rdue, deserve their retirement. You never know about these ‘final’ things. Never say never and all that but there’s been a slow build of Rock stars who are finally calling time. Genesis have gone, Fish is going, many (includ ing Springsteen) are saying how they’re not going to stop. It’s a hard call to set a sell by date.

We’re two and a half years on from a mighty Heep performance in the same venue that celebrated their 50th. That evening they did the full ‘evening with’, supporting their main set with an acoustic set. Tonight, they’re happy to let two melodic Rock heavyweights, April Wine and Tyketto take the early doors strain.

On the Bridgewater website, it seems that both are marked for half hour slots to impress…. However, both get plenty of time to extend that half hour and deliver both quality and quantity on their sets.

TYKETTO

Tyketto kick off proceedings, their own big backdrop in front of an ominously large one that screens the full stage. Danny Vaughn gets the crowd onside, declaring how they were welcomed in “this fair city” back in 1991 as they launch into the first of a set packed with bold choruses and true to form, Manchester is in fine voice for a week night crowd.

The Tyketto boys are impressed by the venue, “it brings sobriety – you gotta be good here!” Danny declares after opening with the fiery title track from their 2016 Reach album at the ungodly hour of 7.15. It’s that debut album, Don’t Come Easy, that forms the bulk of the set in a prime nostalgia fest. Although the hair may not be as big and luxurious as in their glory years, and let’s faces it, whose is, Strength In Numbers is atill as relevant. As heavy as they get tonight too.

The audience in Manchester is fully on board with Tyketto. Despite the more formal setting, they’re in good voice again on Lay Your Body Down. The hardcore know how it goes as they run through the routines with a couple of short solo spots. There’s even time for a ballad in the short set. Standing Alone sees the unbeatable sound of twelve string out for a more relaxed moment before the fianle.

The last song has to be the one that everyone knows even if they don’t admit it. Forever Young is their Eye Of The Tiger. Even a couple of fans get up and jive along and its been a jive worthy set and grand opening to a full on evening.

APRIL WINE

Like the headliners, April Wine have fifty years of rock to celebrate. Compared with Tyketto, April Wine have a list of album releases as long as your arm. Probably the same with band members; Brian Greenway (cutting a very Mike Mills lookalike-y figure) the man who’s served in post since 1977 surely due a long service award. Their backdrop looks a little bigger too – not that there’s any contest going on in a ‘mine’s bigger than yours/bigger is better’ battle (which Heep will probably win anyway).

Their set barely creeps post 1980 but there are no complaints. Classic stuff, like Tyketto, endures as new boy, Marc Parent and co declare how they like to rock immediately. No keyboards here for extra texture, but armed with twin guitars, Canada says hello (as in the song) before Brian does the honours for the riffy Before The Dawn that also features some twin Gibson guitar slinging.

Having flexed the muscles, the April Wine ballad moment comes with Just Between You And Me. However, it’s Sign Of The Gypsy Queen, written by fellow Canadian Lorence Hud, that provides a highlight. Very dramatic and very Blue Oyster Cult-esque in the subtlety. Ending the set with a boogie through Roller, April Wine confirm a job well done.

URIAH HEEP

The house lights fade and we get the brief warning of intro music. The smoke plumes rise, the curtain falls and the mass of coloured lights are scanning the audience and the auditorium. Bernie Shaw walks on and immediately gestures for those in the stalls to rise to their feet. We know the routine.

Grazed By Heaven is a belting opening number and partnered with the modern Heep of Save Me Tonight from their excellent 2023 Chaos & Color album provides evidence for the strength of their catalogue that stretches back a mere 55 years. Yes, they’ve been through more personnel changes and more albums than you can shake a leg at but the current steady line up is as good as they’ve been. And this line up playing some of the classic songs from the early Seventies is also as good as it gets.

However, as Bernie says in his greetings, how to squeeze 55 years of Heep into ninety minutes is their challenge as they plan to dive deep into the history of Heep. And true to their word they do with the likes of Shadows Of Grief that gets a big dramatic reading and a wash of saturated red and orange lighting.

There are the songs they have to play. No getting away from Gypsy, Easy Livin’ and Stealin’. Those classics pepper the set – sensibly paced – with some clever choice cuts making up the meat. The low bass throb that introduces Stealin’ soon has the packed auditorium singing along with gusto. Bernie reminds us how good it feels onstage when the whole crowd, and a partisan Heep one at the, sing the choruses back at you. Maybe the adulation drug is one of the reasons they and their peers keep doing this.

As each song gets coated with lashings or raspy organ texture from Phil Lanzon, powerhouse drummer Russell Gillbrook (showing he Metal allegiance in sporting a cut off Iron Maiden T shirt) gets highlighted with the last of the newer songs, Hurricane. It provides the storm before the calm. Strapping on the acoustic, Mick and Bernie had an up close and personal moment as the guitar settles into place and the duo launch The Wizard. It’s a magical delivery and might vie with The Magician’s Birthday as the set highlight. With the vast top hatted magus figure on the backdrop, the planets align. Serious heavy rocking with the progressive bent.

Mick is also keen to tell us how “Uriah Heep has always been a party band.” He’s referring of course to how much enjoyment the fifty year musical journey has given him and those who’ve passed through the ranks. It’s Sweet Lorraine that talks of “Fightin’, killin’, wine and women gonna put me to my grave” but Michael Frederick Box will surely head to his grave with that familiar grin on his face. Probably still playing that guitar solo. And although it might be the Magician’s Farewell, the boys have plenty of touring for 2025 lined up – and the promise that we’re not quite at the very end…

The poignant is left for the finale. Visions, thoughts and memories of Hensley and Byron can’t be avoided July Morning and Sunrise might provide an apt soundtrack as Heep reach the twilight of their career. Casting their spell for fifty years – not too many bands can put up against Uriah Heep’s bragging rights.