Going Out #4 with KISS: An overture in three parts and Baywatch.

KISS; Part One. 

The prelude to the prelude.

The KISS army were rallying to the flag, and nowhere was it more obvious than in the Hard Rock Café in Glasgow.

With a pre show party arranged for the faithful they were looking to meet the needs of the hungriest, thirstiest, and most fanatical KISS fans in the city, and their efforts were gratefully received.

Shooting fish in a barrel?

Of course, but with the café having a strong connection with KISS over decades it would have been worrying if they had dropped the ball on the band visiting the city.

Needless to say dropping the ball wasn’t on the cards.

The DJs of the day were steering clear of delivering any curve balls and stuck to alternating between classic rock tracks and much loved KISS material.

They knew what they fans wanted and were there to provide it.

You wanted the best etcetera.

It’s doubtful anyone could pick holes in their song choices at all.

In the background they were screening KISSology and KISS My Ass while there was of course the obligatory face painter in situ too.

Who has a KISS party without a face painter eh?

Not the Hard Rock Café.

If anyone was looking for Vinnie Vincent or Eric Carr make up then they could just forget that though.

This was strictly the iconic Starchild, Spaceman, Demon and Catmans show.

And of course there were competitions too.
You could win anything from KISS goodies to tickets to see a Meat Loaf tribute (No, don’t ask. I didn’t get that bit either).

The stars of the show were however the staff that attentively attended to everyone needs, even to the extent of reseating us as our table reservation would have taken us away from the top floor where all the action was.
Nothing was too much hassle and they should be rightly lauded for setting the scene for an enjoyable evening.

Whether waiting the tables or serving at the bar these guys rocked.
With events scheduled for pre Green Day and Alice Cooper shows in the city it looks like a certainty that they will be the first port of call for Reservoir Droogs.

Well played HRC, well played indeed.

KISS; Part Two. 

The Dives

As openers for KISS there was much pre gig talk about nepotism as Paul Stanley is the father of a band member, but to focus on that detracts from giving the band the attention they so richly deserve.

This being simply because the performance that they put in quashed any mutterings that they were not worthy of supporting KISS, but also of any criticism that they were not ready to play on the larger stages of the world.

This is a band that has the songs and stage presence that is required to play anywhere, and they proved that time and again in front of what could be described as an unforgiving crowd.

From the start of the set it was obvious that they were on a mission to win hearts and minds, and they did that with a classy clutch of songs that could be described as power pop hits in waiting.

It was always going to be an uphill struggle for them, and that does have to be taken into consideration as opening acts of legends are very often either ignored by a rabid fan base, or at worst treated as an inconvenience from the moment that they plug in and crank it up for the first song.

And yet they took this challenge on and battled their way through with smiles on their faces and a palpable attitude of them having fun while doing it.

If anyone was looking for a downside to focus on then they would have to dig deep and conjure up something silly like possibly not liking a haircut, or a pair of trousers worn, as when it comes down to the musicianship and delivering a quality show The Dives have it all covered.

As a live introduction to a band goes this was perfectly executed and hopefully it isn’t too long before a full length album appears and some UK dates to support it.

Definitely a band that we will be keeping an eye on and also one that we will be keeping you updated on too. 

KISS; Part Three

You wanted the best? You know the rest.

It’s been a long time since we have seen KISS, and way back then it was during the make up and stage show free period of the Crazy Nights tour.

So this was realistically a born again virgin experience of the band because the two shows have little to aesthetically connect them.

The theatrics obviously aren’t necessary, but without them KISS are a great band and with them they are arguably a band that transcend terms such as great.

If the rock gods created a band to reside in stadiums then it would be KISS.

There’s no quarter given when they dig deep and deliver everything they have.

From the curtain dropping they dealt a jaw dropping experience to their fans old and new in Glasgow.

Barely stopping to take a breath it was a show that was designed to be etched into the memories of those who bore witness to it forever.

Write a list of things that you would consider have to be part of a KISS show and they had them all covered, and then they also went on to add more that you might not have thought of.

Without exaggerating how enjoyable this show was it can safely be said that it has jumped straight into a personal ‘top five gigs ever’ list.

And we have seen some exceptional shows over the years with barely anyone of legendary note left to be ticked off the bucket list.

In hindsight, without prior experience of the full KISS show, it was not just a gig that smashed a perception ceiling, but went on to push at the firmament above.

Positioned right at the front we had the perfect view to take in everything that was going on, and there was a lot to take in, from the wire work to the flame spewing stage show KISS are the gift that keep giving, and then there are the songs.

Opening with Deuce and storming into Shout It Out Loud they started hard and fast and then just kept the levels pushed into the red.

There are no breaks in this vehicle baby, and that’s as it should be.

If Pandoras box was filled with rock clichés then it is Paul and Gene that prised the lid off it and unleashed them all on the world.

Out of context they would probably readily admit to the Barnum rock and roll shtick being ludicrous to the extreme, but within the context of a live show it all works, and not just works, but becomes something very different from just a rock and roll show altogether, because to be serious for a moment in some ways they are offering a welcomed moment of respite to people.

Respite from a life that is grinding them down.

For one night you can leave all your worries at the door and enjoy something that is bigger, better, flashier, and more fantastically outrageously over the top than real life is as a welcomed distraction.

They are the fantasy providers that are the tonic for all the negativity that weighs heavily on our shoulders.

Framed like that is it any surprise that people leave a show so ecstatically high from the experience that they sound evangelical about it all?

It’s when we think about it in this way that we say hell yeah, we are proud to be part of that KISS Army now.

We get it.

It took a long time to get there, but here we are.

The World needs KISS, and until you are in that crowd when they kick into I love it loud you might not realize just how much.

All hail the mighty KISS.

Set List.

Deuce

Shout It Out Loud

Lick It Up

I Love It Loud

Firehouse

Shock Me

Flaming Youth

God of Thunder

Crazy Crazy Nights

War Machine

Say Yeah

Psycho Circus

Black Diamond

Rock and Roll all Nite

Baywatch.

If you are a fan of 21 Jump Street then this is most certainly for you.

It’s exactly the same premise.

Take a television show and bring it back as an outrageous comedy for modern audiences.

It’s a partially tried and tested formula that has delivered results before and here we are again, with Baywatch, similar to those that predate it, doing the business.

It’s wholly as stupid as expected and if you are looking for any sort of depth then it’s as shallow as a puddle and you will ultimately be disappointed, but if you like crass jokes delivered without any shadow of embarrassment then you have come to the right place.

There are dick jokes, jokes about breasts, more dick jokes, a murder or two, some more dick jokes thrown in for good measure, and a cast who seem to have had a ball making the movie.

Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron have certainly got some good comedy chemistry going on and never shy away from poking fun at being such chiselled dudes as they play up to the stereotypes, and similarly Alexandra Daddario and Kelly Rohrbach are a feminists nightmare as they join in with the lampooning the beach beauty swimwear model roles that they have.

In general everyone is hamming it up as much as possible with Priyanka Chopra doing a fine job as a B movie villain too.

Critics apparently hate it, but who cares.

Leave any ideas of being intellectually stimulated outside the cinema and there’s a very good chance you will leave still laughing.

Going out #2 with The Fate of the Furious and Alien: Covenant

Bang crash wallop what a non picture. 

The Fate of the Furious - The Fast & Furious 8

The formula has been stripped down to the bare bone.

All that is apparently required of an action flick now is that it features a combination of the genres stars; or all of them if they are available, some exotic or iconic locations, a liberal dose of action, and big effects.

Big big effects.

A plot is an afterthought.

Something that links the crashes, explosions and the fights.

There's a time and place for movies that you can switch off and just enjoy.

But there's switching off your brain, and then there's voluntarily going for the lobotomy option just to enjoy it.

The latest instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise is closer to the latter than the former, but not quite as bad as Diesels return to his XXX persona, or the truly depressingly awful Statham outing in the second Mechanic movie.

There will be people involved in the making of this movie that could, and probably should, win awards, but unfortunately they are not in the ranks of the scriptwriters or the cast.

The stunt crews, the fight scene choreographers, and the team covering the cgi are the real stars of this, but it could have been so much better if they just got a storyteller involved.

Just one would do.

The verbal sparring between Statham and Johnson seems to be an attempt at humour, but it sounds like someone took the dialogue from a facebook tiff between two fourteen year olds.

Then again maybe that's the target audience.

If so then well done.

And Helen Mirren.

Seriously.

She must have lost a bet.

It's the only explanation.

Maybe the same bet Tommy Lee Jones lost that seen him appearing with Statham in Mechanic: Resurrection.

How could you?

Alien: Covenant

Ridley Scott isn't pulling any punches with Covenant.
It should have been called Gods and Monsters.

For those who were disappointed with the the lack of action in Prometheus and cried out for more xenomorphs and blood then here is the movie you were waiting for.
The chests bursting, backs bursting, face hugging, and liberally splashing of blood about, will no doubt keep you all satisfied.

And equally for those who dug the more cerebral instalment that was Prometheus they will be pleased to know the story arc isn't sacrificed for the kill count either.
There is a point to the slaughter.
It's a movie were more of the jigsaw pieces are slotted into place, but not all.
A very real work in progress.
As a sequel to the prequel, prequel 2 if you wish, there are some loose threads tied off that Prometheus left dangling, but also more left hanging that may draw some criticism, but with a little patience, and faith, could well be addressed in the next two, or three as touted, outings.
In fact fans can probably be assured that they will.
As a whole it seems that Scott has it all planned out, and the sneaking suspicion creeping in is that once he links it all to the original Alien then what we will have in our hands will be the science fiction franchise that towers head and shoulders over the rest.
A fully formed alternative universe that sweeps all others devised by directors out of its path and sets the bar for everything that follows.

It's partially mind boggling to think that this was spawned from the claustrophobic Alien movie from 1979.

Who could have envisioned that the tight taut survival take on science fiction horror could have been the catalyst for these epic sized prequals?
The only issue that should realistically be considered is that there is no date for part three revealed just yet.
That's a huge downside as when the closing credits rolled I would have happily had a short bathroom break and returned to my seat for another few hours in Scotts world.
Okay, okay, Blade Runner is coming, but more Alien please.
I want it all now.
I might even have to stamp my feet a bit.