Live Review : Blaze Bayley + White Raven Down @ The Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on May 8th 2025

It’s quite incredible to think that Blaze Bayley has been a presence on the UK rock scene (and by extension in many of our lives) for over four decades.  From Wolfsbane to Iron Maiden to his solo material, Blaze has always been a performer of passion and fire, and tonight’s show, centred around the anniversary of his first solo album “Silicon Messiah” - itself now a staggering quarter of a century old – shows just why he’s still held in such high regard by so many after all these years.   

But first White Raven Down have the task of warming up the rapidly growing crowd, eager for a night of hard and heavy rock n’ roll. A band who are no strangers to putting in the hard miles, they’ve made the valiant trip all the way from Southend to grace the Waterloo’s stage and make the absolute most of the time they have allotted to them.  White Raven Down are an intriguing combination of some of the heaviest and dirtiest riffage, combined with delicate almost fragile elements and singalong moments with the crowd. It’s a heady mix, with charismatic singer/guitarist Stu Bailey channelling a propulsive, full-on charm and energy that washes out over the assembled masses. With only three musicians on stage, it’s truly a band effort with each band member playing their part to perfection. Drums are hammered with a metronomically accurate attack of devastating power and precision whilst never sacrificing flair and panache, the bass swirls and rumbles, whilst Stu’s guitar is up-front and in your face. Having seen White Raven Down numerous times over the last few years, much of the set is familiar, but these songs still manage to feel essential and vital such is the commitment and performance of the band and the polish that constant touring has added to these numbers.  So, ‘Salvation’ is as bold and punchy as ever and gets the night’s first big singalong; epic in the truest sense with herculean drum fills rolling round the room and Stu’s frenzied soloing it draws roars of approval from all quarters, and it’s only the third song in. Similarly, ‘Stole Your Light’, ‘Take Me’ and ‘Roll the Dice’ thoroughly impress, but it’s the inclusion of new song ‘Crimson Sky’ that lights up the stage, a welcome addition to the White Raven Down canon and with the teasing promise of a new album on the horizon things are looking very bright indeed for this talented trio.  Throw in an unexpected, but altogether fantastic cover of ‘Ace of Spades’ - dedicated to “one of the best venues in the country” – that has the crowd roaring along and bouncing around in delirious abandon and you have a fabulous performance that leaves everyone primed and ready for the headline set to come. 

Let’s be honest, Blaze Bayley needs no introduction.   

He is quite simply a legend.   

From the second he sets foot on the stage he’s greeted like a conquering hero, the crowd completely with him as he leads us through a spectacular set, engaging, dramatic and absolutely captivating. For nearly two hours he holds the crowd in the palm of his hand, the warmth and affection they hold for him almost palpable, seemingly fuelling him to ever greater heights. For Blaze doesn’t simply sing these songs, he inhabits each one, hands constantly moving in a flurry of expansive gestures illustrating the lyrics, features changing from one moment to the next as different emotions play across his face, fixing a gimlet eye on an individual in one breath, pointing at another the next. It’s a hugely physical performance, Blaze wringing every drop of emotion and charisma out of each and every word, giving his all for the adoring fans, who respond with unrestrained enthusiasm to each and every number. Many artists talk about their bond with their fans, but few have the genuine connection that we see tonight between those on and off stage. It really is about family, about camaraderie; but there’s a reason that Blaze inspires such devotion. He's one of us. Disarmingly honest and humble, he has a deep abiding love for this most vital and important musical form, one that has sustained and inspired both him and us for decades, a constant companion through all life’s travails. He also has a rare talent and a desire to share that passion with us all, with an unparalleled ability to make every audience member feel like he is singing just to them.

At 25 years old “Silicon Messiah” is played in full, sounding remarkably fresh and relevant, almost presciently so, given its themes, the muscular sound no doubt helped by the strength of the talented musicians Blaze has surrounded himself with. Chris Appleton on guitar is a force of nature and the perfect foil for Blaze, playing with a fervour and intensity and a huge amount of personality. Brother Luke Appleton on the other side of the stage lays down the big moody bass lines, mid-set swapping to guitar for an impressive two-song acoustic break. Even more impressive is that this is only the first night of the UK tour and an unexpected medical hospitalisation has meant that they are playing tonight with a temporary drummer drafted in at incredibly short notice, take a bow, Richard Newsome, for a heroic and stellar performance! 

‘Silicon Messiah’ itself is an intense and bold piece of storytelling, vibrant and epic, the crowd hanging off every note, every beat; ‘Born as a Stranger’ meanwhile has the room bouncing in union, some swept away by the sheer thrill and joy of the power of the finest rock music. And that rapture in itself is something to be celebrated; is it nostalgia? Yes, in part, but that’s only one element; it’s something very pure and primal that lives in the heart of every metal fan and is something that is sadly too often missing in modern music, and it makes the heart swell to see it writ large in the audience’s response to Blaze tonight. 

And if that wasn’t enough, we get a run of Maiden numbers to close off the set, at which point the already over-heated crowd collectively loses their mind, going over the edge into paroxysms of frenzied excitement.  The cherry on the cake that brings to an end a truly phenomenal night, is a barnstorming rendition of ‘Doctor, Doctor’ (and there’s no set that isn’t made better by the inclusion of that dyed-in the wool classic in this reviewer’s opinion!) 

I don’t know about a “Silicon Messiah”, but Blaze himself is clearly a Messianic force for metal, and we’re lucky to have him. Tonight, he was absolutely on fire and this will no doubt go down as a Waterloo gig for the ages, one that will be remembered and talked about for a long, long time to come… 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Blaze Bayley + White Raven Down