Slash at the Birmingham o2 Academy, 20th July 2011

On the 20th July I was lucky enough to see Slash live at the Birmingham o2 Academy. It was amazing to see such a well respected musician and I am very thankful that due to my flyering at the Birmingham o2 Academy I was able to get in for free to this sold-out show.

Japanese Voyeurs were the support band, and I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. For those who don't know, they are a British alternative metal band. They had the word 'Yolk' in lighting on stage, which is the name of their album (however, it was slightly confusing for people who weren't die-hard Japanese Voyeurs fans... but it sure made it a memorable name!). They opened with the thrash-sounding 'You're So Cool', which instantly demonstrated how unique Romily Alice's voice is. She's a strong-sounding singer who can hold notes well and the sound of the band and her voice match perfectly. They played a few more songs, such as their most well-known song 'Dumb', and even played a cover of 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails. They managed to put their own unique stamp on the classic song and made it sound beautifully distorted and it was a real crowd-pleaser.

After a short wait, Slash appeared on stage with his trademark top hat and shades and it was instantly apparent Birmingham was going to witness one hell of a show. Myles Kennedy (Alter Bride) sang vocals and his voice fit perfectly with every song; if it wasn't common knowledge that he didn't originally sing them then it could have been easily argued. The set list included songs from Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit, his solo songs and Velvet Revolver. He opened with 'Ghost' which sounded incredible and proved that still after all this time and many different bands Slash still knows how to put on a good show and impress the crowd with his incredible musical talent on guitar. 'Back From Cali' and 'Starlight' both sounded particularly amazing live and Myles' voice was so suited to those songs, and it proved that him and Slash are a perfect combination. Slash played an intense guitar solo that made the crowd go wild, followed by the Godfather theme, which inevitably led into the incredible 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. The atmosphere was amazing, and even without the rest of Guns N' Roses it was an unmissable event, which I am highly glad to have witnessed first-hand. This was shortly followed by 'Slither' which had an amazing, grunge-y feel to it; the riff really is just perfect. Slash finished with 'Paradise City', which was an incredible way to end such an amazing night.

All in all, Slash hasn't lost his touch at all; in fact, he's going stronger and even better than ever. He is a lovely man who throughout the night encouraged appreciation of music from all ages and proved why he is so highly respected in the music industry; he is one of the best guitarists of all time.