WHITFIELD CRANE REVIEW NOTTINGHAM ROCK CITY Coming on like a grown up Beavis, in shorts & flannel shirt, Ugly Kid Joe’s Whitfield Crane starts his first ever solo tour at Nottingham’s mighty Rock City. Whitfield’s voice is still one of rock’s all-time greats, right up there with Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Cornell RIP. The tour posters promise he’ll play “All the songs” from Ugly Kid Joe, Life of Agony, Medication and many more. That’s a lot of songs. And in the Rock City basement it’s a privileged and intimate affair. “This is rad” Whitfield exclaims, before admitting his new band have only played together twice before, him having just flown in from California. Backed by Matt Reynolds and Tom Marsh from Nottingham’s own Haggard Cat on guitar and drums, completing the line up is Slave To Gravity’s Toshi on bass, you’d barely know this was the 3rd time they’d played together. Before launching into Another Animal (one of his many supergroups) Whit starts rifling through sheets of A4, “You’d think I’d remember the lyrics” he jokes, but rather than feel lazy, this honesty serves to break down the wall between performer and audience. A rare opportunity to see one of rock’s greats at close range, with people travelling from as far as Holland just for the gig, with Whit hilariously wanting to know “Have you got weed?” “I watched the news today, what a fucked up country. Who’s the guy with the funny hair? What a dick!” The heavier material that launches the show, serves as a reminder of the power and metal in Whit’s voice. The band then slow down to reveal their softer side, showcasing a handful of Richards/Crane songs from the excellent ‘World Stands Still’ album written with Godsmack’s Lee Richards. During this they descend into laughter when Toshi forgets his lyrics during his only solo moment. This is how all gigs should be, hanging out, jamming, legends in your living room. Throughout the gig Whit mocks the English accent, but that’s okay, the English deserved to be mocked. It must be nice for Americans to know they’re no longer the stupidest nation in the world. “I watched the news today, what a fucked up country. Who’s the guy with the funny hair? What a dick!” Whit observes to a big cheer. He then compares our new/failing PM to a...