Snake lacks bite as Leppard rules the jungle

Dougal Paver

To the Echo Arena with Olaf and Major Maund to watch Whitesnake and Def Leppard and enjoy my first proper gig in this stunning facility.

If nothing else it demonstrated that if Liverpool is to reclaim its natural hinterland then it is major pieces of infrastructure that will do it. We were surrounded by woollybacks and mad Welshmen with nare a Scouse accent in ear shot.

Anyhow, Whitesnake have a back catalogue of crowd-pleasers that most bands would kill for but chose to keep it largely under wraps, focusing instead on newer material that few had much interest in. The later stuff has moved on from their earlier, blues-rock roots to be pure heavy and, with David Coverdale's voice reduced to a screech it made for a poor combination.

Throw in Spinal Tap levels of rock cliche and it was more amusing for its intermitent absurdity than the piece of shameless nostalgia I was hoping for. A pity.

Def Leppard were a class apart. They were never my cup of tea but they got the crowd roaring from the off and made for a better spectacle. And, of course, they ensured the mixing and lights were miles better than their under-studies.

Next up is Echo and the Bunnymen in November playing their seminal Ocean Rain album from 1984. Now that's more like it...

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