Featüres January Features Wolfsbane - 'In Bed With Wolfsbane' DVD (Self Released)
| Wolfsbane - 'In Bed With Wolfsbane' DVD (Self Released) |
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| Written by Howling Matt Phelps |
| Wednesday, 05 January 2011 05:00 |
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Back in the day no band known to man put a smile on my face like Wolfsbane did. The sheer exuberance of their all-out live shows coupled with infectious, riotous anthems of booze and sleaze made being a metallic teenager in the late 80's / early 90's all the more enjoyable. Wolfsbane were the people's band. A rag tag bunch of misfits from Tamworth that worked hard and played harder with that punk ethic that anyone could be a rock star. You didn't have to be a anorexic bottle blonde pin up from LA to get the girls, you could be a fat bastard that flipped through Fiesta and drank too much Newcastle Brown Ale! Hurray! So thank God they're back and revving up with a vengeance to reek havoc throughout 2011. With a new EP and album taking shape the Wolfsbane crew end 2010 with a visual reminder of just how spectacularly fantastic they were back in the day with a DVD release of that long lost fan favourite 'In Bed With Wolfsbane'.
Originally released in 1991 the 'In Bed With Wolfsbane' video was a fan club only release that followed the day to day affairs of Blaze, Jeff, Danger and Jase through a selection of home video clips linked together to form a sort of visual diary that showed the guys recording the Kathy Wilson EP at Roundhouse Studios, rolling around the UK supporting Iron Maiden and generally lazing around the glorious surroundings of Howling Mad Mansions all interspaced with unique pre fame clips like their Tamworth Battle Of The Bands winning performance from 1987. 'Dance My Tune' and 'Hot Shoe' rock out with a youthful, lithe, snake hipped Bayley fronting a glammed up Wolfsbane complete with a cod piece that would make Blackie Lawless blush. Priceless footage.
Now, as if giving us Howling Mad Shitheads 'In Bed With Wolfsbane' on DVD wasn't enough, this new package ups the ante further with a second "bootleg" disc. This is where the real magic is. Whereas the first disc reminds us just what crazy, off the wall lunatics Wolfsbane were with their high jinx and drunkeness off the stage, this 19 track second disc bootleg captures the rabid ferocity of the Tamworth terrors at their creative and commercial peak. Filmed from the balcony of the old London Astoria on December 10th 1991 while on the road supporting the 'Down Fall The Good Guys' album this bootleg captures completely the essence of what Wolfsbane shows were all about.
Dare I say it but despite the fact that this is a bootleg it even betters the intensity of 'Massive Noise Injection' - There's no high definition, there's no 5.1 surround sound, just raw, grainy in your face rock 'n' roll laced with infectious humour and sleazy lust driven anthems of reckless abandon. It's blood, sweat and filthy sex, pure and simple. Some of the greatest memories I have from over twenty years of gigs are memories from the times I saw Wolfsbane back in their prime. As time goes by you always think were those days and shows really as good as I remember or is it a case of looking back with rose tinted glasses. Well I'm glad to say that this is everything I remember and more. I still consider Wolfsbane to be one of the most enjoyable bands to ever emerge from this sceptred isle and with the awesome foursome hitting the road again next April with the mighty Saxon as well as headlining their own SOLD OUT musical orgy at London's Borderline club in the same month I'm looking forward to gaining loads more. Bootleg setlist:
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have been lost in the mists of time. Footage from the old Raw Power show gives us exclusive live acoustic shots of 'After Midnight' and 'Broken Doll' before a few other rare TV appearences complete the set along with the official but rarely seen video for 'Ezy'.