Space Elevator
Thursday 20th April 2023
The Horn, St Albans
So three nights of Space Elevator commenced with a visit to The Horn in St Albans - a nice pub, thankfully a short walk from the back of the station (particularly as pissing down doesn’t do anything like justice to the monsoon conditions that greeted me into the town - who knew you could get that wet in two minutes outside of a poorly plumbed shower). A recommended bratwurst and bacon hot dog and a beer later, and I was ready for gig 1 - the band are a powerhouse, completing two awesome sets to a small but perfectly formed audience.
There are lots of smiles and sing along-a-plenties and one can only wonder why this band aren’t playing to far bigger crowds; the virtuosity of David Young’s guitar playing forms the backbone of the bands sound with an array of exquisite solos and Julie Maguire’s vocal range and artistry hold the audience captive without foregoing an endless sense of fun.
Backed by a very fine trio of musicians in drummer Brian Greene, bassist Andy Carr (depping for Chris Maguire) and keyboard/second guitarist (occasionally) Michael Bramwell, the first half featured amongst others, 'Boudoir' from the forthcoming album, penned with Rock legend Russ Ballard and Thin Lizzy’s epic (& epically covered) 'Don’t Believe A Word', 'Loneliness of Love' and a fantastic culmination of 'Losers'/'We Can Fly' to close a stunning opening set.
The second half storms along in equally stylish fashion, Julie delivering with gusto and a permanent smile smashing through a great setlist, particular highlights being 'Duchess of This Town', 'Persona Non Grata', 'First Girl on the Moon' and closing a fabulous night with crowd pleaser 'What You Think About That'.
I re-emphasise this is a band surely destined for greater things, mixing power and artistry they deserve to be seen, live they are a revelation so check them out while you can still get up close and personal…. I’m sure it won’t stay that way for long!
Les Linyard