With Tailgunner jumping on this leg of the W.A.S.P. tour, the fact that there are only two bands in the lineup gives the newer band a great chance to strut their stuff. This Tailgunner lineup is entrenched in excellence, and they get the crowd at The LCR in the fine City of Norwich on side straightaway.
Tailgunner
The LCR, Norwich – 20 July 2025
Words And Photography: Steve Ritchie
With Cinderella’s Gypsy Road on pre-play, this harks back to the decade that first introduced us to the headliners. But in Norwich, Tailgunner bridge the chasm of years with ease. If there is a New NWOBHM, then this band is a leader, and the Norwich crowd has done their homework and are on board.
It was the two-year anniversary, bar a day or so, of THAT gig at KK’s Steel Mill, where MetalTalk described the band as “paradoxically contemporary, and nostalgic, but an exhilarating experience.”
It was their debut album, Guns For Hire, that propelled the band into the consciousness of thousands. This is something that bassist Thomas Hewson looks back on positively. “It’s one of those things where I started writing that record in 2018 before there was even a band,” Thomas told MetalTalk Editor Steve Ritchie in the car park at The LCR before the show.
“I always say that was me learning how to write songs,” Thomas says. “Seeing it do what it’s done, when really it was an exercise to teach myself how to become a songwriter, and for people to take to it so positively is… I don’t want to say it was shocking because we believed in the record, of course. But it’s very, very nice to see and to be honest, it just creates a lot of excitement for us and a lot of confidence going into the next record.”
The LCR show was gig number 102. There is no messing around, as Tailgunner hit Norwich straightaway with Midnight Blitz, from album number two. The second new track of the night, Blood Sacrifice, follows straightaway.
Smiles abound around the crowd, who watch guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson switching sides, while Thomas is pushing his bass out towards the crowd from the front of the stage. New drummer Eddie Mariotti thunders away, pushing the track along, while Craig Cairns commands the crowd in style.
It is electrifying stuff, and Tailgunner connect with the crowd better than many bands with years more experience. White Death follows, one of only two songs from the debut album tonight, and those not rooted to a stool are flying around the stage. The interplay movements are great to watch. It is all fire and action.
When the third song finishes, I depart the photo pit. Cairns asks the Norwich crowd for some “heys,” and the City does not disappoint in its response. Tailgunner are tight.
The Salvini-Thompson guitar pairing is amazing to witness. The KK’s Steel Mill show in 2023 might be seen by many as a turning point that really helped push the band in the eyes of the public. For Thomas, from a gigging perspective, Rhea Thompson joining was a huge moment.
“From that point onwards, we really noticed things start to pick up,” Thomas says. “The first time we played Call Of The Wild, there was just a noticeable difference, and it was like suddenly people knew about us. Obviously, being invited by KK to do that Steel Mill show really helped.
“That was a week before the album came out, and I think that was probably what was responsible for pushing us into the charts in the UK. That was a big thing to have that recognition. I mean, speaking of KK, the same sort of recognition from Rob Halford, a year ago, was another big thing.”
“We are building up the tours all the time,” Thomas said. “We did Udo and Riot last year, and Armoured Saint and KK’s Priest. This year, Steel Panther and W.A.S.P. What’s so positive about that is we’re not even touring an album right now.
“We were basically sitting around in the studio going, well, the record’s going to be done. We’re not going to release it for quite some time until next year. What are we doing sitting around? Let’s fucking go out on the road. To be able to tour with W.A.S.P., it’s a very lucky position for us to be in, really.”
Barren Lands & Seas Of Red [Check out the Setlist.fm mispell!!] comes next, one of the songs from the new album. This is a track that makes the new album a very exciting prospect. There is guitar a plenty. The dual guitar parts match wonderfully. You get the ‘whoah’ part as the song builds to its climax, which will be a sure-fire sing-along part in the future.
The pause before the closing notes of the song has all our hands in the air. “Thank you very much, Norwich,” Cairns says to huge cheers. There is a throwback to an old style here, but with drummer Eddie pushing it forward, it thunders.
For Thomas, Eddie Mariotti joining has made a big difference. “The band feels stronger than ever,” he says. “Eddie’s come into the band this year. We were starting to get a little bit Spinal Tap with the amount of drummers we’ve had now. It’s three and three years.
“But I really feel like this is now the complete lineup of the band. It’s weird. You think you’re in a good place. But until you really, really are, when it really clicks, it’s a bit like a marriage or something. It’s like you think you have it good until you meet the right person, and then you know.
“It’s like they say, ‘when you know, you know.’ It’s the same thing with bands and lineups. Now touring is so much fun and so easy because we know that we’re playing the best we’ve ever played.
“So everyone just feels super fucking positive. Coming out of the studio as well with the record that we’re going to be releasing, the vibe is really great right now.”
Eulogy follows, another new song, and has the crowd clapping along with the exquisite intro. Then bang, the track runs away. Vocalist Craig Cairns is awesome here, with a range to die for. Midway through, Eddie gets a brief solo before leading the charge through the guitar solos.
Zach Salvini has an awesome, sweeping solo, then Thompson joins for a dual guitar run down that is sublime. This gets repeated, much to my joy. The studio version of this is going to be immense, while live, with the guitarists always swapping sides, it is all there.
There is a beautiful laid-back finish to Eulogy, where you feel duty bound to have your hands in the air. This track is full of festival awesomeness.
“Want some more?” Craig asks. “Yes, please,” we answer. So Tailgunner throw in Hit The Lights. This is a typically aggressive Metallica cover. There is a lot of hair shaking going on, and Thomas Hewson takes his bass up on the gantry for the finish. I wonder how many tonight know it’s a cover?
Returning to their debut album for the second time tonight, Guns For Hire closes the show. Norwich answers with horns, and a mid-song clap gets plenty in the crowd on board and most join in the “Woah’s.”
Rhea rests the V part of her guitar on her knee, we count 5,4,3,2,1, and Norwich is done and totally warmed up.
Tailgunner have taken their style of Heavy Metal to Europe, where the reception has been excellent. “One of our first gigs, now I look back, was going over to Germany,” Thomas says. “It was really early on, like the 20th show. We were headlining clubs in Germany. We did a four-date run, one of them a festival. Two of the headline shows sold out. Small clubs, of course, but even so. To be able to go over and pack out a room first time overseas is pretty surreal, really.”
Donington must have been good as well, being the mecca for Metal.
“Exactly,” Thomas smiles. “Yeah, we’ll refer to it as Donington. It’s called something else these days. A bit before our time, but that’s what we’ll call it. Monsters Of Rock. The thing for us is to be able to bring that Heavy Metal spirit to Donington Park to Download Festival.
“These days, there’s a lot of bands around playing this sort of music. But to be able to be at the forefront, I think, of this new, new, new, new, new wave and get booked for something like Download is a real big recognition. People are still interested in this sort of music. Young people are still interested in this sort of music.”
Of course, the Hammersmith Odeon is on the wish list. “I know W.A.S.P are there later in the year, but they’ve got Armored Saint with them in September.”
Tailgunner toured Guns For Hire for thirteen months, and now the shows with the new material are raising the bar for sure. “This is the summer blitz tour that we’re on right now,” Thomas says. “It’s a blitzkrieg around Europe for a few months in the summer, to give people a taste of the new album. Then we’ll disappear underground again for a few months and then come out with the record.”
Watching the band in Norwich, in some respects, felt like closing an exciting era and opening the door for who knows what. But the future is certainly very bright. The words outside, from plenty who had not seen Tailgunner before, show how exciting a band they are.
Drummer Eddie Mariotti has made a big impact. “Now we have our own Eddie,” Thomas smiles, “so the Maiden comparisons can continue.”
“If that’s the warm-up band,” one punter said, “W.A.S.P. will be really good. I loved that.”
The new album is recorded, and the artwork is done. The album has a provisional date of February, and it will be called? Well, Thomas is keeping that under his hat.
“But look back at Guns For Hire,” he says. “If you like that, I think you’re really going to like this one.”
