Terrorvision Review @ Erics Liverpool

Terrorvision review Erics Liverpool 2011

The review of Terrorvisons gig in the famous erics venue in Liverpool 2010
Some people may have slated the return of Eric's to Mathew Street as this time around they believe it will only have cover bands, lack lustre performances and yesteryear bands no one has any interest in, but tonight they can eat their opinions as a rock band whose reputation speaks for itself, Terrorvision, came to Liverpool and they rocked Eric's to it's very core. 

 

With a packed out Eric's, including the obligatory generation who have to tie their coats around their waists, there was anticipation in the air and as the lights dimmed and music from Rocky filled the air and as far as I'm concerned any band who have the sense of humour to play this deserve the full respect of the crowd, ironically or not.

Terrorvision provided a full on rock set, which reached the speed of 100 mph and used full throttle to keep it there for the 90 minutes, only slowing down to change gear with "Bad Actress", which gave the crowd and themselves a well earned breather. I can say with all honesty, I have never seen such energy, enthusiasm and sheer love for what they do and it paid off with everyone joining in with them and giving it their all. With fantastic crowd interaction, from cooling the crowd down by squirting water from their bottles at them, putting the mic's into the crowd so they could join in chorus's and little quips from lead singer, Tony Wright, who cheekily introduced themselves as "Terrorvision, from Bradford!!"

By the end of the set, I had forgotten just many hit songs Terrorvision had had and I am so glad I have been reminded, ranging from "Tequila", "Perseverance", "Middle Man", "Oblivion", "In My House", which almost saw the roof getting raised off, and "Celebrity Hit List" to name but a few. By the end of the set, the crowd were not willing to let the band go. After they left the stage chants for "Alice.....Whats the Matter" began to reverberate around the room and sure enough, Terrorvision gave the crowd what they wanted, followed by "Pretend". As they left the stage for the final time, "The Wonder Of You" played in the background and I can't help thinking of a more apt song for such an amazing, energetic and thoroughly fantastic band.

If Eric's can secure more high calibre, outstanding bands like this as well as talented upcoming bands, like Terrorvision's support, "The Breakdowns", a crowd pleaser in their own right, then Eric's will be make it's mark on the the new generation of music lovers as well as it's predecessors and I for one can't wait to see what they have to offer next.

Review by Alison Goggin

Full photo set can be sen here

Full Terrorvision photos

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Terrorvision to play Eric's Liverpool Sat 5 Nov

 

Terrorvision were born in 1988 out of the remnants of a glam rock mess called Spoilt Brats, an amalgamation of art school buddies Mark Yates and Leigh Marklew, drumming loon Shutty and long-haired urchin Tony Wright. After three years of gigs and demos they were signed in 1991 to EMI Records on the strength of Pump Action Sunshine, a demo which featured what was to become their first Top-30 hit, My House.

Incessant touring – including support slots with long-time heroes, The Ramones and Motorhead, backed up positive reviews of their debut album Formaldehyde. They broke off the European leg of the Motorhead tour to open the show at Def Leppards’ homecoming Sheffield Don Valley stadium gig in front of 40,000. The night before they played an impromptu gig in front of 100 at a pub just down the road…

At the end of 1993 they decamped to New York City to record their second, breakthrough record How to make friends and influence people with alt-rock uber-producer, Gil Norton. The album went on to spawn five top-30 singles during 1994, catapulting the band into the mainstream. Appearances at both Donington Monsters of Rock and Reading cemented their reputation as the default festival bands of the 90’s. Kerrang awards followed (then lost in a drunken haze) and their most successful year wound up supporting Therapy all across Europe.

More awards followed in ’95 from Kerrang and Raw magazines, and the band took a left turn, supporting REM at a UK stadium gig and donating a track to the world famous Help album, for the Warchild organisation. All the while plans were being hatched for album number three, Regular Urban Survivors.

Released in 1996, the album notched up four more Top-30 singles, including Perseverance, which debuted at number 5 on the UK charts. The album swiftly went Gold. Celebrating their success, tequila-fuelled, in Madrid whilst on another European jaunt, Tony smashed both his ankles trying to scale the walls of the Hard Rock café to rearrange its famous logo. Gigs were curtailed only briefly, ideas for new songs were hatched and then the band was back out on the road, taking in Glastonbury and Reading in 1997.

Their fourth album for EMI, Shaving Peaches, saw the band take another left turn, working with four different producers, including Edwyn Collins and the Utah Saints. Acid, Speed and Scrumpy-fuelled mixing sessions in deepest Cornwall resulted in the sprawling 15-song set, which gained mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. EMI wanted out, but delayed the axe when Zoe Ball began playing a remix of the Shaving Peaches track, Tequila (remember the Hard Rock café?) incessantly on her Radio 1 Breakfast show. Eager not to miss an opportunity, EMI rush-released the track, the band organised a last minute video shoot at (where else?) a Tequila bar in Camden Town and 1999 arrived with the band sitting at number 2 in the UK charts.

The fall out with EMI wouldn’t go away though and the band were dropped before storming Reading / Leeds festivals as an unsigned act in the summer of ’99. Party of over, fuck you over there, as they say… 

A new deal (with Papillon Records) was done in 2000 and the band released what was to be their last album for ten years in 2001. Good to Go gave them another Top-30 hit, D’ya wanna go faster and the Neil McClellan (Prodigy) produced album was generally received as a storming return to form. Alas, ten years of touring, excesses, abscesses and successes saw the band knock it on the head, bowing out with a sold-out farewell tour.

Mark, Tony and Leigh threw themselves into other musical projects (Laika Dog, Malibu Stacey, Blunderbuss, Broken Hearts Club band) as well as dry-stone wall building, painting, graphic design and opening a tattoo studio. The joy that is Terrorvision was never far away though, and the boys reunited in 2005, then again in 2007 and every year since to play gigs, hang out and get trashed. In 2009 they celebrated the 15th anniversary of their seminal How to make friends and influence people album with a sold out tour playing the entire album in order and in its entirety!

That nostalgia fest was enough, though, and a decision was made to start writing new material again. Drummer Shutty didn’t make it along for this ride however, and was replaced after 20 glorious years on the throne by Cam Greenwood for the writing and recording of the first new album in ten years, Super Delux.

Terrorvision

Eric's Liverpool

Sat 5 Nov

£15 www.ticketweb

all tour dates: www.terrorvision.com

 

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