Live Review : Smith/Kotzen + Kris Barras Band @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on February 13th 2026

Imagine the scene. Two guys walk into a bar near their homes. One is a founding father of British Heavy Metal, having been a guitarist in Iron Maiden more or less since 1980 (with a short hiatus in the 90’s to pursue other interests and play in frontman Bruce Dickinson’s band). The other is s stalwart of American Glam, having replaced CC Deville in lipstick rockers Poison, briefly joined Mr Big and finally found a home in “supergroup” The Winery Dogs alongside Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater and Billy Sheehan. What could these people possibly have in common, besides both being renowned virtuoso guitarists? Actually it didn’t happen quite like that, it was one guy’s wife who walked into the bar and made the initial introduction, but that sounds less like the start of a bad dad joke. Anyhow, one thing led to another and a series of jams at each other’s parties led to the discovery of a mutual love of a blues-rock sound that was outside the scope of both their day jobs. Eventually this led to writing together and, finally, the creation of a couple of albums and a part-time touring band. Coincidence or fate? No idea, but one thing is for certain, the noise they make together is pretty compelling.

Kris Barras has also been a busy boy recently. The ex-MMA fighter recently presented us with his Hollow Souls band project, but that has been cast aside tonight for a return to his roots and the band named after himself. This project has morphed from it’s original blues roots to be a pretty balls-out rock outfit, and with a setlist tonight that draws on most of his back catalogue and also gives a taste of some new music in the pipeline it’s a well-rounded and enjoyable offering. The new album will be released later this years, so current single ‘All Falls Down’ is slipped in mid-set. It’s a rather glorious stomping anthem, with strong riffs and a big chorus, but also touches on Kris’s blues roots and allows him to drift off into some tasty soloing too. ‘Monster Remains’ is also debuted and takes the band in a slightly harder, alt.rock direction.

Other than that the band trot out Kris Barras Band standards like ‘Dead Horses’, and ‘Ignite (Light It Up)’. The bass player deserves a special mention, firstly because his instrument has an absurd number of strings and secondly because he uses every one of them, fingers twinkling and capering up and down the fretboard in the same way as his feet do on the stage. ‘Hail Mary’ features a great acapella vocal intro and a bit of audience participation, and the set ends on a high note with the anthemic ‘My Parade’ which stomps and struts like a proud peacock, rather like Kris himself.

As noted above, Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen met after Smith’s wife met Kotzen in a bar near their L.A. homes. The jam sessions at mutual parties solidified into proper writing and recording back in 2020, when the world stopped due to covid and both had extra time on their hands. This resulted in a self-titled album being released in 2021, with a follow-up “Black Light/White Noise” coming out in March last year. Tonight’s set is a joyous affair, drawing from both albums but slightly favouring the most recent one. Although Smith/Kotzen do most of the recorded material themselves the touring band includes Richie’s wife Julia on bass and drummer Bruno Valverde. Vocal duties are shared, guitar duties are shared and the two, despite their very different backgrounds, form what appears to be a firm and enduring partnership of mutual respect.

So what of the music then? Well, both of them set aside the sound of their day jobs and delve deep into their love of blues rock. They fuse this with a touch of funk, a smattering of Southern and a lot of infectious, catchy choruses to deliver an uplifting sound that’s easy to listen to and just as easy to dance to. Everything is shared – vocals are alternate or together, licks are traded, stage space is swapped. The camaraderie and enjoyment of each other is heartening, giving a warm feeling of shared fulfilment. There are a couple of standout tracks thrown out; ‘Wraith’ from the latest album fuses hard rock with a Southern rock style that gives a nod to Blackfoot, with a clapalong middle section and a feel of dusty trails that is only enhanced by the conches on Adrian’s hat! ‘Glory Road’ too is an uplifting anthemette with a smattering of trucker rock and a sparkling chorus. ‘Outlaw’ on the other hand is a bit more commercial and radio-friendly, despite the intensity of the riffing. The guitar solos are technical but not so complicated that one loses interest in the song. They compliment rather than overpower, breathtaking in complexity but appearing simple in execution they gel the whole thing together like superglue. ‘Darkside’ contains a powerful message to share your feelings and not struggle alone, while ‘Got A Hold On Me’ allows Adrian to demonstrate some excellent slide with some chugging rock & roll. ‘Scars’ is one of the first songs they wrote together, and takes them into power ballad territory.

The encores give them a song each – Richie has his solo offering ‘You Can’t Save Me’ and the evening ends with a crowd eruption for Adrian’s Maiden song ‘Wasted Time’, a song familiar to everyone that is performed with all the passion and emotion you could possibly wish for. So there it is, two men, two worlds colliding in a miasma of mutual respect, friendship and admiration and bringing us a show of warmth, passion and technical excellence. Can I sum the night up in one word? Yes I can, it was satisfying.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Smith/Kotzen + Kris Barras Band