Another unforgettable evening beckoned at the fantastic KK’s Steel Mill, with three brilliant bands in H.E.A.T, Mason Hill and Collateral, gracing the stage.
H.E.A.T, Mason Hill and Collateral
KK’s Steel Mill – 15 October 2022
Words and Photography: Andy Shaw
Collateral
The evening began with Collateral, who never disappoint. They bound onto the stage and began a short but sweet set. Opening with Lullaby, frontman Angelo Tristan is as charismatic as ever, belting out the song and walking the big stage as if he owns it. Mr Big Shot followed, the brilliant Todd Winger doing his stuff on guitar and supporting with backing vocals.
Angelo sports an acoustic guitar for Midnight Queen, and they show they are at home on any size of stage. There are plenty of fans wearing Collateral t-shirts in the crowd, all turning up early to see them. Tristan said to the crowd, ” I wanna thank guys for coming out and keeping music alive.” The band moved into No Place For Love with Ben Atkinson drumming to save his life and keeping the beats going and Jack Bentley-Smith, the erstwhile bass player, looking so cool.
They finish with Sin In The City and Merry Go Round, capping an amazing start to the evening from a group who we will see more of soon, as they support Skid Row on some of their upcoming dates.
Mason Hill
Next up were the underrated Glasgow band Mason Hill, who are growing a very loyal following throughout the UK. Their eight-song set consisted of songs from the Against The Wall album. Scott Taylor is an amazing frontman and has a voice that fills the cavernous Steel Mill. Taylor has a huge presence on stage, evidenced by their opening of Hold On before leading into the amazing DNA.
The twin guitars of James Bird and Marc Montgomery are constantly on the move across the massive stage, and the pace never relents, continuing with Out Of Reach, Find My Way and Where I Belong.
The sound the band create would fill any arena, and their songs ebb and flow to create a wonderful sound. We Pray really ignites the crowd, and the guys really have the audience right where they want them.
Matthew Ward, bass, and Craig McFetridge, drums, keep the back beats going with great style. Broken Sun shows off Taylor’s voice to its max, and the Mason Hill set reaches its crescendo with the title track of the album Against The Wall, accompanied by loads of pyro. Mason Hill are a band that has songs and performances which lend itself to bigger and better things.
H.E.A.T
Swedish Rockers H.E.A.T, who rescheduled this tour from October 2021, never disappoint. Pocket rocket frontman Kenny Leckremo bounced onto the Steel Mill stage and never stops moving in what is a very welcome return for H.E.A.T’s original frontman.
They kicked off with Back To The Rhythm from their latest album, Force Majeure, along with a whole host of flames and smoke shooting up from the stage. A packed KK’s was in a real heightened state of excitement.
Then a couple of tracks from their H.E.A.T. II album, Dangerous Ground and Rock Your Body. “How you doing?” Leckremo asked. “It’s been a long time, Wolverhampton!” They were now in full flight, showing what an exciting live band they really are, Jimmy Jay on bass and Dave Dalone on guitar, complimenting the energy of Kenny Leckremo. Next was Come Clean, followed by Redefined and another new song Hollywood.
“This was our first single,” Kenny says, “and it’s been 15 years since we played it.” He just carries on talking. “How about a Q&A? Cause when I talk….. Anyway, how about some music instead?” and they played their first ever single, Straight For Your Heart, before yet another new song, the brilliant Tainted Blood.
We were then treated to a fantastic Don Crash drum solo, something we really don’t see enough of these days, then straight into One By One, which featured copious amounts of pyro.
This was followed by an early track, Beg Beg Beg, before Kenny invited an audience member onto the stage to sing Cry with them. Could he sing? Oh yes, he could. What a fantastic thing to do, and the crowd were in raptures at his performance which took a fair amount of bottle to do it. After a few hugs, he returned to the crowd. It was then into 1,000 Miles, Breaking The Silence and Living On The Run. This was really turning into a barnstorming performance.
H.E.A.T played their final new song, Nationwide, finishing the evening off with A Shot Of Redemption. A wonderful evening, H.E.A.T are band never to be missed in what was another fantastic night at the wonderful KK’s Steel Mill.
