An Alice Cooper tour has been an essential event for me since my first sighting of him in the old Glasgow Apollo in 1982. He has never let me down. Always a great band and always a bunch of great songs. I just had to be there for the first night of his latest UK tour.
Alice Cooper – Primal Scream – The Meffs
OVO Hydro, Glasgow – 14 October 2024
Words: Ian Sutherland
Photography: Razorrhead Productions
Forty-two years after that first live experience, Alice Cooper somehow seems to be exactly the same guy. Entering the stage for opener, Welcome To The Show, in a top hat, leather outfit and sword, he manages to be cool yet menacing. His circus ringmaster style just commands both the audience and his five-piece band to do his bidding.
With Nita Strauss leading said band with her shredding guitar goddess style, the current Cooper line-up has a metallic bent, and in the arena, they do a great job with the sound, allowing the full three-guitar attack to come over loud, very loud and clear.
Famous for his theatrics, recent Alice arena shows focus less on the set pieces than his defining ’70s extravaganzas. There are a fan and a photographer who appear on the stage before being swiftly murdered, a guillotine beheading, a giant Frankenstein’s monster and in one of the strangest ways to make a living, he whips his wife Sheryl during a towering version of Go To Hell.
Most of the theatrics are focused on the man himself, though, and his use of props. Whether it’s a cane, a crutch, a sword or a live snake, he uses whatever he is holding to tell his stories in a way that is almost vaudevillian in style.
The other stars of the show are the songs and stories themselves. I have always thought that AC was the best of the so-called legacy acts at putting together balanced setlists that cover a career. He opened with a tune from 2023’s Road, there was He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask) from his ’80s schlock rock years and a well-represented ’90s with the likes of Feed My Frankenstein, an unexpected Snake Bite and the groove of Lost In America.
Of course, there was also a smorgasbord of ’70s classics to delight an enthusiastic crowd.
Under My Wheels has lost none of its driving potency, The Ballad Of Dwight Fry is as memorable and haunting as ever, Cold Ethyl and I Love The Dead are sick sense of humour overloads and Be My Lover added some swing to the proceedings.
An early rendition of 18 was not just a stomping anthem. It was a close estimate of how many great songs were to come.
Inevitably few in the audience resisted the call to “Raise your hands if you’re Poison,” or the thought of voting for the leader of the Wild Party to be President in a storming Elected. A joyous School’s Out ended the night on an inevitable rousing high.
Introducing the band, the legendary frontman added, “…and playing the part of Alice Cooper tonight…” Cue a long pause for dramatic effect and a crowd roaring louder and louder, “ME!”
Of course, there is no one like him as a performer, as an artist, as a front man or as a legend with a sense of humour. Simply superb. Again!
Primal Scream
It is comparatively recently that Alice Cooper UK tours moved up from theatres to arenas. To help with that jump, there is usually a second name band added as special guest. This time around it is Scottish rockers Primal Scream.
Starting out showcasing newer songs, the sound was low-key and groovy, the vibe pretty laid back I was not sure if the saxophone and trio of backing singers set up they have was really going to translate well in a rock arena show setting.
Their set had a nice buildup as it progressed, though, and I thought the really driving rhythms of Loaded took the set and the interest in the room up several notches. This set them up nicely for a closing trio of Movin’ On Up, Country Girl and Rocks to really get the crowd involved.
This veteran, genre-shifting, unpredictable band were, on the face of it, an unusual choice for a Cooper support slot. But it all worked out really well for everyone.
I think they made new fans as well as pleasing their own.
The Meffs
“This is by far the biggest place we have ever played,” said Lily of Britpunk duo The Meffs to the crowd in the cavernous OVO Hydro. It is indeed a strange place for their mix of aggression, old-school punk and Oi attitude and good-natured high energy. 
You would think that a sweaty club was more suited to them and their sound, but somehow their cheery irreverence, good nature and fearless attack won the crowd over. 
Helped by a bottom-heavy cover of The Prodigy’s Breathe, people drifted out of the bars around the hall to see what all the noise was about and they were rewarded with a demonstration of how sometimes angry punk rock can leave you with a smile on your face. A promising band.
