The Brickmakers, Norwich September 25, 2022
by Mark Harrop
A relentless evening of classic rock kicks off with a powerful but sadly brief set from London-based A New Tomorrow. More than a decade of touring and recording has honed their sound to produce a set true to rock traditions, but individual enough to make them stand out from the crowd.
Endearing frontman Alessio Garavello, who seems genuinely surprised anyone has turned up to watch them, charms the room with a performance of real quality. He’s backed by Michael Kew on guitar and bassist Andrea Lonardi while Tim Hall takes the role of manic metal drummer to a new level.
Their heavy riffs plus well-crafted and occasionally, but not excessively, anthemic harmonies come to the fore on A Million Stars, Brighter Than the Sun and new single Until The End.
The live show may lack some of the edginess of their studio work, but A New Tomorrow know how to work a crowd and leave us wanting more.
As good as the openers are, nothing can quite prepare you for Nathan James. Taking centre stage with a grin nearly as big as his hair, James and his Inglorious colleagues launch into She Won’t Let You Go, Taking The Blame and Do You Like It, barely pausing for breath along the way.
This is rock theatre with James lapping up the starring role. But Inglorious are more than a one-man band. Guitarists Danny Dela Cruz and Dan Stevens share the limelight, combining superbly – most notably on the dark and frenetic He Will Provide.
Bass player Vinnie Colla fires up the intro to High Flying Gypsy, with the echoes of Zeppelin’s Kashmir clear for all to hear, until he literally blows a fuse and plunges the venue into silence.
After a quick fix the show is back on the road. Drummer Phil Beaver swaps his sticks for acoustic guitar to accompany James on the haunting Glory Days, followed by a gentle medley of Foo Fighters’ My Hero and Best Of You, a moving tribute to Taylor Hawkins.
After that respite it’s back to full throttle. Eye Of The Storm is a belter, and James wanders into the audience during Holy Water before I Don’t Need Your Loving and Until I Die wrap things up.
Inglorious unashamedly draw on the influences of their heroes. They employ virtually every rock cliché in the book, but they avoid descending into parody through the strength of their material, skilful musicianship and, of course, the phenomenon that is Nathan James.
