McQueen – Shepherd’s Bush Empire 2007

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Hot on the heels of their performance opening the second day of the Hyde Park Calling festival Brighton rockers McQueen slotted in an extra date supporting Tesla and Diamond Head just before jetting off to Germany to play a show as part of the Ulmer Zelt festival and then to Holland for the Rosrock Festival.

The Shepherd’s Bush Empire was probably around half-full by the time McQueen took the stage and the audience even included a few fans amongst the supporters of the two rock institutions to follow. They played the same eight-song set they had played at Hyde Park Calling the previous Sunday and again only had 25-30 minutes to play and wasted very little time between songs.

Over the last seven or eight months they seem to be getting tighter and tighter; their sets flowing like a well oiled machine. The period where bassists changed twice probably didn’t help, but with Gina Collins now having been a member for a few months, and having been involved in the majority of the major touring, stability has been reached and her partnership with Hayley Cramer, the female equivalent of Tommy Lee, is more solid than ever. Just like Sweden Rock and Hyde Park Calling recently guitarist Cat De Casanove’s solos sounded fluid and more expressive than they used to, bringing her into the limelight at the right moments where before she used to continue to play in the background, even when her parts at those times should have been the focal point.

It was interesting to see on this occasion the reception McQueen would get. Their festival appearances tend to be in front of younger crowds who, for the most part, are probably new to most of the bands on any given bill. At a show like this they’re playing to rock veterans. Their energy seems to win over both sets of fans, which is surely an indicator for longevity.

Their next UK date is the Bulldog Bash alongside Status Quo and The Damned, amongst others, and then a headlining tour in October, including a Halloween show in London before a spot at Hard Rock Hell in Minehead.

“ well oiled machine ”

Setlist: Not For Sale / Running Out of Things To Say / Dirt / The Line Went Dead / Break The Silence / Blinded / Neurotic / Bitch

Written by Andy Lye
More: Gigs, Hard Rock, McQueen