by Emma Jenkins
– Guest Columnist —
November 14th, 2014 at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, England —
Tyketto is a band that has seen its ups and downs, break-ups and reformations, and it just missed out on the big time due to that little thing called Grunge. Despite all this, and with the help of some kick-ass tunes, Tyketto is a band that has endured, and 25 years down the line, the band is celebrating the fact that it can still do what it loves for a living and play to people who love them for doing it. Tonight they are at the Rescue Rooms, a familiar venue and perhaps a familiar crowd to the band.
They hit the stage at 8:30 p.m. with no special fanfare or stage theatrics; just five musicians ready to rock out. Lead singer Danny Vaughan gets the loudest cheer when he enters. “Dig in Deep,” the title track from its most recent album, kicks the set off. This quickly is followed by “Lay Your Body Down,” and the gritty track “Faithless” followed. The energy that was emanating from the band was so intense at times that the stage seemed too small to support it. This energy swept through the room and got the crowd enthusiastic. Once fans heard the opening bars to “Burning Down Inside” the place started bouncing. This was the track that the Nottingham crowd had been waiting for, and it was like everyone had shed those 25 years and returned to the heady days of their youth. This high energy was sustained through “Strength in numbers” and a new song to a U.K., set, “Aint that love.”
Good tune followed good tune, broken up with entertaining and enthusiastic banter from leadman Danny. He was just so stoked to still be playing to appreciative audiences, and, as he said, “If he wasn’t doing this, he would probably be working in a factory somewhere.” He accredited “Love to Love” to guitarist Brooke St. James, who strongly influenced the band to get back to the studio to record its fourth album. He also had a small pop at the current music scene. Poor Taylor Swift, she does seem to be people’s punching bags these days, but it was more of a short rhetoric about the music industry and how unsupportive it can be to new and upcoming bands that perfect their craft on the gig scene and may not necessarily appeal to the masses . Such was the introduction to “Sound Off,” which, live, had a dirty vibe and heavier feel to it.
“Haunted” (Danny Vaughan song), “Seasons” and “Standing Alone” followed. The magnificent “Sail Away” had everyone singing along and was an apt song with which to close the set.
Of course, the night couldn’t end here; there was one song that everyone had yet to hear. But it wasn’t time for it. First, Michael Clayton was given a rest from his drums. He set a clap going that, initially, the crowd got wrong, much to Danny’s amusement. He then told everybody off and told them to watch and copy what Michael was doing. This was the “Last Sunset,” which segued nicely into “Forever Young” – the song that needs no introduction and that everyone knows.
The gig absolutely was flawless and included high energy and great banter; it was a huge crowd pleaser. The music took on more meaning once it was played live, and this may be part of the reason why Tyketto is still going today. The band thoroughly enjoyed what it was doing, and it brought magic to the stage for everyone take home with them afterwards. “Forever Young” may not be in our aging knees and joints, but it always will be in our hearts and minds.
