Firefest III - Nottingham Rock City Gig Review

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Wig Wam. I hadn’t got or heard any of their albums and the only thing I knew about them was that they had represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest a couple of years ago. So I wasn’t expecting much…

But, by Christ, did I get a massive and most welcome shock !!!!!

For their first UK gig, they immediately set the scene by entering the stage caked in more make-up than I think I’ve ever seen in one place at one time. Lead singer Glam was resplendent in a black & white catsuit with full Indian headdress.

From the opening strains of “Rock My Ride”, Wig Wam were just brilliant. Their songs are simple and ridiculously infectious and catchy, such that the crowd knew every word to every chorus after hearing it just once and no-one needed a second invitation to sing along.

Wig Wam are massively over-the-top and if their tongues were any further in their cheeks, they’d be sticking out of their ears. However, they can also really play, particularly guitarist Teeny. It was also certainly the first time I’ve ever seen a guitarist and bassist chuck their respective instruments on their own backs, then lean over each other to play the other’s instrument, whilst also spinning around.

Song after song produced huge smiles on the faces of absolutely everyone I could see. It would be virtually impossible not to like a performance like this and for several people I spoke to later on, they were band of the day.

Their set was full of modern-day rock anthems such as “Kill My Rock N Roll” and “Hard To Be A Rock N Roller” which had fans screaming at the top of their lungs. The band were clearly loving every minute of it and this added to the crowd’s enthusiastic reaction.

One splendid moment was when Glam poured a bottle of water over Teeny’s head for playing a “jazz” solo, whilst proclaiming “I baptise you in the name of rock”.

My only slight moan would have been the choice to play back-to-back AC/DC covers in “Highway To Hell” and “Back In Black”. Personally I would have like to have heard even more of their own stuff. But this was just a minor point and one that did not detract from a simply awesome performance.

As a result of this performance I will definitely be hunting down their entire back catalogue and cannot wait for a return visit to see them again. Stunning !!!

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Firefest II - Live Review

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