It has been seven years since the L.A. Guns last visited these shores, so a sold-out Academy paid testament to the continuing popularity of the band. They are a band with a chequered past, although mainstays Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns remain to the fore. With tonight being the first London show since before Covid lockdown, we were all wondering what they would now be like.
L.A. Guns
O2 Academy Islington, London – 30 October 2026
Words: Adrian Stonley
Photography: Robert Sutton
The first surprise was when Phil Lewis walked on stage looking like something out of a Noel Coward play: all moustache, pinstriped blazer, waistcoat, and buttonhole flower. What happened to the old L.A. Strip sleazeballs?
So, would the music be the same? Simple answer? Absolutely. The set itself was predominantly a greatest hits show, with just one song played from their last album, 2025’s Leopard Skin.
The stage itself was pretty bare. No expense here, with no backdrops and minimal lighting. This was L.A. Guns stripped back in a club environment. But the moment the guitars kicked in for Cannonball, we knew we were in for a ride and that the band can still cut it live.
L.A. Guns remain a high-energy, in-your-face band. From the moment the band hit the stage, you were hit with their effervescent buzz and the old rock ‘n’ roll attitude. Clearly, a few shows into the tour, the band are back in their comfort zone.
All the favourites come thick and fast. Electric Gypsy, albeit with a few bars of Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones to close it out, was rapidly followed by the sleaze of Sex Action.
Speed was fast and furious like its title. It is clear that they are having fun on stage and the years are rolling back. It is contagious.
One More Reason is another reason to love this band. There is an exuberance and dynamism in the performance as Phil gets to grips with the audience and soon has them eating out of what is probably a quite sweaty hand now, as the temperature in the venue increases.
Now it is time for Tracii Guns to step forward to deliver a screaming solo, which shows off his considerable talent. He has often been considered an overlooked guitarist, and tonight he shows why he is one of the best at what he does.
The solo segues into I Wanna Be Your Man, which has the audience bouncing along with the catchy chorus, making this the ultimate singalong, although Kiss My Love Goodbye runs it close.
The only ‘new’ song is Lucky Motherfucker, although this is greeted as loudly as any of the older songs on show tonight, and certainly comes over as a crowd pleaser. With a title like that, is there really any surprise?
Following this, the band start to ramp up the atmosphere, throwing pieces of well-known songs out at the audience, from Van Halen’s Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love through to AC/DC’s Hells Bells, which itself acts as the introduction to Never Enough.
The set ends with an extended Rip and Tear as Phil introduces the band members who all get to undertake a solo section. This may be one of only a couple of small gripes. Was there a need to do this? Probably, yes, as the set was quite short and this extension took the show from an hour to an hour and a quarter.
Then there was no encore. The set was the set.
So, a show high on quality, low on quantity. Oh, my other gripe? Why do people go to shows like this just to talk throughout? Do everyone a favour who wants to hear the band. If you want to talk? Go Forth.
Sticks N’ Stones
Support came from Canadian independent band Sticks N’ Stones. There is a definite ’90s alt rock feel to the band’s songs, although for me they came over rather as standard run-of-the-mill heavy rock.
Opening a show is not always easy, and it does not help when a band are plagued with sound and microphone problems throughout. Perhaps the continuous stops to change mics, or to change position on the stage so the singer could be heard, did not help them.
Give them their due, Sticks N’ Stones did not stop and put everything they possibly could into the set.
Personally, I felt that the songs were a bit samey, and I wonder why, when using clean vocals throughout, a death growl is added at the end. It has no context with what had gone before, or was this just a vain attempt to modernise some of the songs for a UK Metal crowd?
That said, they did put in a storming cover of Thin Lizzy’s Cold Sweat, which was well received.
Hopefully, on other nights the gremlins will not be there to disrupt, and others may get to appreciate them more than I did.
