Thunder – Stage

5 Stars

Formed from the ashes of Terraplane (a not-very-successful eighties band), Thunder were formed in 1989 and quickly became an overnight sensation with virtually the same band, but with a different approach and attitude.

Their debut album Back Street Symphony went straight into the British Top 30 album charts. Hit singles followed, and then they sealed victory by performing a blistering set opening at the Monsters of Rock, treating it as a lap of honour and stealing the show from the headliners.

From here on, Thunder became something of a national treasure. In 2009 Danny Bowes decided that the band was not getting any bigger and perhaps they were all getting a bit old for this rock ‘n’ roll thing. So, with a final tour and obligatory live album, Thunder split.

The trouble with retirement is boredom, so after two years, in 2011 Thunder were enticed back into the game, firstly on exclusive one-off dates, and then things just progressed from there.

The line-up has been stable now for nearly thirty years with only the bass player changing a few times, although the low notes have been safely in the hands of Chris Childs since 1996. Eleven studio albums (two post-retirement), countless live albums, and compilations have been released.

Thunder are now bigger and better than ever, no longer a support band or even playing theatres, but arenas and headlining festivals. They even headlined SSE Arena in Wembley.

This new live album was taken from one of the biggest concerts Thunder have ever done so far. The Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales, playing to a rabid full house where the Welsh fans cheered every move and sang every word.

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This is not in any way a greatest hits tour. This set includes sixteen songs, six from the latest album ‘Rip It Up’ (2016), and four from ‘Wonder Days’ (2015). The rest of the set comprises classics stretching back to their debut album. So, not exactly a nostalgia band.

The new songs blend in seamlessly with the old. I mean, of course, they are Thunder songs, so it would be disappointing if they didn’t. Laughably, Danny Bowes, in between song banter, has not changed in thirty years. The crowds lap it up, so why should it change?

(Strangely, YouTube has age-restricted the Dirty Love video, click below and sign in to verify your age:)

On the other hand, lead guitarist Luke Morley’s playing just gets better and better, now in the category of guitar hero. But Thunder are a team, and it only all hangs together with all five on stage firing on all six.

Ben Matthews takes on the role of multi-instrumentalist and is also excellent at working the crowd in the live arena. Chris Childs is a worthy bass player. On drums is Harry James who brings a lot of humour to the band and is one of the most in-demand session drummers on the circuit.

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Mercifully, the traditional final encore ‘Dirty Love’ has been cut down to just under ten minutes when it would often clock in at over twenty minutes, with Danny Bowes spending half the time playing with the crowd and organizing sing-a-longs. Here you just get ten minutes of solid Thunder rock.

Stage is a fine addition to any music collection and, in future, will be considered one of the classic live albums.

Written by Mott The Dog in a storm at Fletchers’ Folly on the Darkside

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