With a new album out after a decade, Tyketto visit London to air the new material, we went along to check it out!

HAIR METAL STILL BOOMING

Formed right at the tail end of the hair metal boom, Tyketto always felt a bit different from the pack. When they dropped their debut, Don’t Come Easy, 35 years ago (almost to the day), it had all the big hooks you’d expect, but there was more grit, more heart, and a lot less gloss than a lot of big bands at the time. At the centre of it all was Danny Vaughn, whose voice gave songs like Forever Young and Standing Alone a punch that still lands today.

Like a lot of bands from that era, grunge hit and the timing wasn’t exactly kind, so their early run was short-lived. But Tyketto never really disappeared, they just went underground and built a seriously loyal fanbase along the way. When they came back in the 2000s, it wasn’t just a nostalgia thing either. Records like Dig In Deep and Reach showed they could still write proper, emotional, fist-in-the-air rock without sounding stuck in the past.

These days, they sit in that nice middle ground: part cult heroes, part still-got-it live band. They can roll out the classics everyone came for, but the newer stuff (including their newest album Closer To The Sun) holds its own, which isn’t something every band from that era can pull off. If you like your Friday nights loud, a little nostalgic, and just rough enough around the edges to feel real, the triple bill of Collateral, punk rock n’ rollers Warrior Soul, and headliner’s Tyketto at 229 in London delivered exactly that and then some.

Collateral

Opening sets can sometimes be a thankless job, but Kent-based rockers Collateral clearly didn’t get that memo. They walked on like they were already headlining and tore into No Place For Love before most people had even finished their first pint. From there it was a tight, punchy run through Glass Sky, Midnight Queen (one of the best songs Bon Jovi never wrote, and On The Long Road each one landing with that glossy, modern-classic rock sheen they’ve made their calling card.

Each member of the band was on fire, with Angelo Tristan handling lead vocals (and acoustic guitar on certain songs,) Todd Winger on guitar, with bassist Jack Bentley-Smith and Ben Atkinson on drums to complete the rhythm section, and great audience interaction helped get the crowd on their side in the short time they had as Tristan led many sing-a-long moments and shared fist bumps with the front row.

By the time they hit Merry Go Round and closed on Mr. Big Shot, the room was properly warmed, not just polite applause, but genuine buy-in. Big choruses, bigger confidence, and just enough grit to avoid feeling too polished. Exactly what you want from an opener! Being from Kent myself, I couldn’t help but be proud of them!

Warrior Soul

Then came Warrior Soul, and the vibe flipped completely. While Collateral were slick, Warrior Soul’s energy was gloriously unhinged. Frontman Kory Clarke stalked the stage like a man running on fumes and adrenaline, barking through songs with a voice that sounded permanently on the brink, but somehow never quite tipping over.

They didn’t so much ‘start’ as ‘detonate,’ crashing straight from Intro into Interzone, the latter still carrying that jagged, Joy Division-tinged tension that sets the tone for everything that follows. From there, Cargos Of Doom and Love Destruction came thick and fast; early reminders that Warrior Soul’s version of rock has always had more bite than polish.

Kory Clarke remains a fascinating frontman. Not slick, not even conventionally tight, but completely locked into the moment. He prowls, he rants, he half-sings and half-spits his way through the entire set, turning them into something that feels volatile rather than rehearsed. Dressed every inch the rockstar in a silver jacket and frilly trousers and complete with shades and long blond hair, he looks straight out of the 80’s rock scene. And that’s the appeal: you get the sense things could fall apart at any second… but somehow never quite do.

GROOVE LOOSENED

Mid-set, the groove loosened just enough for The Drug and The Party to land with a swagger that bordered on chaotic fun, before The Fourth Reich dragged things back into grittier territory with the meanest riff. The crowd (a mix of die-hards and curious onlookers) seemed to shift with it, from nodding appreciation to full-on engagement.

PROPERLY RELENTLESS

The closing stretch? Properly relentless. The Losers hit like a statement piece rather than just another song, followed by the excellent Punk And Belligerent. By the time they tore into The Wasteland to finish, the room felt less like a venue and more like it had been dragged through something slightly dangerous. I lost count of how many times the mic stands were knocked over, thrown down, or the keyboards almost knocked over by the guitarist stage right. It’s all rock and roll, and the crew absolutely earned their money here!

And that’s the thing: sandwiched between more melodic acts on the bill, Warrior Soul could have felt out of place. Instead, they were the jolt of electricity in the middle of the night; messy, loud, occasionally confrontational, but never boring. Not every moment was perfect, but that’s almost besides the point. This was a set built on feel rather than finesse; and when it clicks like it did here, it’s hard to look away. It was a raucous rock n’ roll show, and while maybe not to everyone’s taste, Clarke and company absolutely delivered a memorable performance.

Tyketto

By the time Tyketto walked onstage, the room already felt like it had been through something; a slick warm-up from Collateral, a blast of chaos from Warrior Soul, but this was the part everyone had really been waiting for. And from the first few notes, it was obvious: this wasn’t going to be a victory lap. This was a band still very much in the fight, and the atmosphere in the room was electric.

They opened with Rescue Me, and it hit like a statement of intent rather than a gentle reintroduction. No easing in, no nostalgia padding, just straight into that familiar mix of melody and muscle. Hot on its heels came Wings and Burning Down Inside, a three-song run that immediately justified why this band still packs out rooms decades on.

The current lineup is spectacular; made up of Danny Vaughan on vocals, acoustic guitar, and harmonica, Ged Rylands on keys and guitar, Chris Childs (of Thunder) fame on bass guitar, Johnny Dee (best known as a member of glam metal outfit Britny Fox as well as a member of Doro Pesch’s band) on drums and newcomer Harry Scott Elliott on lead guitar.

COMMANDING FORM

At the center of it all, Danny Vaughn was on commanding form, not in a showy, over-rehearsed way, but in that easy, lived-in style that only comes with years of doing it for real. His voice still carries that mix of grit and soul that made songs like Standing Alone land so hard back in the day, and crucially, still does now.

The setlist doesn’t just lean on the past, though. Tracks like Higher Than High (complete with a killer harmonica solo from Vaughan,) an inspired cover of Roxette’s Harleys And Indians (Riders In The Sky) and new album title track Closer To The Sun slot in without killing momentum, which is always the risk with newer material in a nostalgia-heavy crowd. Instead, they felt like a natural extension of the band’s sound: big choruses, sharp riffs, and just enough emotional weight to keep things grounded.

THE ATTITUDE RETUNS

Then you’d get something like We Rise,which brought the attitude back in, or Circle The Wagons (a real under-the-radar crowd pleaser on the night) keeping things moving without losing momentum. It all flowed really naturally, with no awkward dips or filler material.

Mid-to-late set, Seasons gave things a bit of breathing space, one of those songs where the whole room just kind of sways along, before they cranked it back up again, and Vaughan even opens it with the first verse and chorus of classic Tears For Fears track Everybody Wants To Rule The World. And that balance, between big singalongs and slightly more low-key moments, is something Tyketto has always been good at, but it really clicked here.

And yeah, you knew it was coming. Forever Young closed things out (or near enough), and it did exactly what it was supposed to do. Everyone is singing, arms in the air, phones out, big grins all round. It might be the obvious moment of the night, but it’s also the one people go home remembering. This, along with an excellent rendition of Strength In Numbers, were my highlights of the entire show.

REAL, LOUD & ALIVE

What made the night work wasn’t just the songs, it was how into it the band still are. No autopilot, no going through the motions. A bit rough around the edges in places? Sure. But that’s part of it. It felt real, loud, and properly alive. Plenty of bands from that era can still play the songs. Not all of them can make it feel like it still matters. Tyketto have shown they absolutely can. It was a night of pure rock n’ roll escapism, and for a few hours the horrors of the outside world were all but forgotten.

All told, it was one of those nights that just worked from start to finish: Collateral bringing the shine, Warrior Soul throwing in a hefty dose of chaos, and Tyketto tying it all together with a set full of songs people genuinely care about. No weak link and no coasting, just three very different takes on rock that somehow clicked into one solid, memorable Friday night in London. The kind of gig you leave a little hoarse, a little tired, and already half-thinking about the next one.

All concert photography by Graham Hilling. You can check out more of his work on his website, here.

Tyketto: Website

Warrior Soul: Website

Collateral: Website

At The Barrier: Facebook / X / Instagram