Clipping details
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| Title: | Live Sounds |
| Notes: | Review of Rainbow Theatre gig (06/04/73) |
| Year: | 1973 |
| Country: | UK |
| Publication: | Sounds |
| Author: | Pete Makowski |
Status Quo
THE AUDIENCE went wild when Status Quo took the stage at the Rainbow Theatre and by the time they launched into their opening number the whole auditorium was shaking. This was a satisfying gig to mark the last date of the bands nationwide tour.
"All right", screamed Mike Rossi. "Yeh," replied the audience. Straight away they went into "Someone's Learning" from their "Dog Of Two Heads" album, followed by "In My Chair", their old hit which nearly brought them fame and fortune. Next on the agenda was "Don't Waste My Time" and before you know it most of the audience (the majority being in the 10-14 year old age group) were on their feet mimmicking Mike Rossi's movements clutching imaginary guitars.
Quo certainly have an impressive stage act involving such novelties as the guitarists surrounding the drummer holding their guitars upright. All the time the band, especially Mike Rossi, were on the move making use of the whole area of the stage.
"This is a record we released as a single and it gave us a hit and all that goes wiv it," was Rossi's introduction to "Paper Plane". This was followed by "Gotta Go Home" from the "Ma Kelly" album, an unusually long number for Quo with a lot of what nearly sounded like jamming. It dragged and didn't get the band anywhere and not until they got back into a twelve bar, standing next to each other, heads down in the famous Piledriver position, did they recapture their audience who were beginning to look bored. This ended with a tumultuous climax leaving the audience shouting for more. The band couldn't have done better than provide "Johnny B. Goode" and the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" as an encore.
The band were tight and more than adequate musically. Mike Rossi proved to be entertaining as well as a fairly competent guitarist. But their success does not lie within their music which is 'dominated by blues and rock 'n' roll. There are not many bands who have worked harder, with many setbacks and they've only to thank themselves for their mass success. - PETE MAKOWSKI.