Duff McKagan's Loaded @ Islington Accademy, London

It’s crazy to think that this is probably the first time in 20 years Duff McKagen has played a club this small in London, the previous time being the famous Marquee show that broke Guns N’ Roses on these shores. It’s also 10 years since he formed Loaded, and almost 6 since the ill-fated dates that were announced back in 2002. With their new material un-released and their first album difficult to find, there’s a strong sense of anticipation to say the least.Unfortunately my enjoyment of the show was tarnished by a dodgy chicken burger I purchased from a local Kebab shop an hour or so before the show. I’m still recovering four days later. Oh well.

It’s awesome when the title track of your album is named such that you can open a gig with a line like ‘Hey London! We’re Loaded, and this is ‘Sick’!’ It’s clear from the offset that Loaded are a band that love to play, and Duff feels right at home taking centre stage, punctuating the set with comedic remarks, including  poking fun at his sobriety (‘I drunk 15 Red Bulls before I came on stage!’) and slightly offbeat references to his sexuality (‘I’m not a faggot!’ Just look at my wife…’).
 
‘Sick’ and ‘Queen Josephina’ have a Pistols attitude mixed with a Stonesy swagger, but when they kicked into the third number, a poppy, melodic track entitled ‘I.O.U’, the song-writing really shifted up a gear. The lead track off the new EP, ‘No More’ has a Bowie kinda swing to it, showing that Duff really has found himself as a lead vocalist since patchier attempts in GN’R.

The remaining three musketeers are energetic performers and a solid unit, but they know their place as the supporting cast. Mike Squires is not Slash, but that’s ok because he doesn’t try to be and, other than a strangely thin guitar tone on the solo for ‘So Fine’, he pulls off the guitar parts with ease and style. Bassist Jeff Rouse swaps to guitar and takes lead vocals on ‘Translucent’ and does a great Izzy impersonation on ‘Dust N’ Bones’.

Indeed, it’s the GN’R classics that really get the crowd going, ‘So Fine’ ‘It’s So Easy’, and that infamous One-and-a-half minute Misfits cover. Which is inevitable, but a shame, because tracks such as ‘Executioner's Song’ and ‘Sleaze Factory’ are catchy and dynamic, and would not have been overshadowed had they not had to compete with tracks from some of the biggest selling albums in the world.

With slightly ramshackle but enthusiastic guest performance from Brian James of the Damned, the band who ‘Don’t play encores’  end the set with covers of ‘New Rose’ and ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’. A promising debut and a great night. Oww, my tummy…