Live Review : The New Roses + The Mercury Riots @ The Tivoli, Buckey on September 19th 2025

Some things just seem to go together naturally. Strawberries and cream. Tea and cake. Rum and coke. You get the idea. Well, whoever came up with tonight’s pairing for a rock tour is a genius because The New Roses and The Mercury Riots also work pretty well together. Both play good classic rock music with singalong choruses and a happy, uplifting vibe. Both are lovely guys who don’t leave the building until every single person has had something signed, or a photo, or just a chat. Both seem to be thriving on this tour and pulling decent crowds into iconic venues such as the Tiv.  

The Mercury Riots have evolved somewhat since our last encounter. Once a 3-piece outfit, the addition of Justin Walker as full-time vocalist has allowed the rest of the band to focus on the music whilst the laid-back, behatted frontman takes care of business in the glare of the spotlight. This has resulted in a more mature sound, slightly less raw and slightly more polished, but most certainly hasn’t diminished the party atmosphere of their set.

With regular bassist Fede currently MIA due to being on tour with Sebastian Bach they have brought a lookalike stand-in out with them who appears to have been born for the job, and they proceed to spend the next 40 minutes trying their damndest to melt both our faces and our hearts. Mission accomplished, as their happy AC/DC-inspired sound rocks the venerable old building to its very foundations. Their songs are mostly bright and breezy party anthems, with all the woah-oh chorus a heart could desire. ‘Light It Up’ is a little more bluesy and Southern-inspired, giving a nod towards the likes of Blackfoot, whereas ‘Good Time Overload’ definitely does what it says on the tin! Guitarist Felipe does proper rockstar throughout, whether he’s doling out riffs like candy or squealing out solos he makes guitarface into an art form as he gurns along to his craft. I

t's all done with no frills and no nonsense, the songs are performed in rapid succession which leaves the crowd breathless and gasping for more. They finish with what has become their party anthem – ‘Save Me A Drink From The Bottle’ is the perfect tune to get the crowd moving and yelling back the chorus, and I notice Felipe subtly slip a bit of Joe Walsh’s ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ into the middle of it just in case we weren’t having enough of a good time already. A great set from a band who seem to have finally settled into their own sound and are loving playing as much as the crowd are loving watching. 

In fact, it’s a brave The New Roses who have brought The Mercury Riots out on tour with them because that performance was a hard act to follow. Undeterred, this German band launch into the title track of their latest album “Attracted to Danger” and despite how good they were it doesn’t take long for the crowd to be looking at each other and saying “The Mercury who?” This is because despite the title The New Roses aren’t really dangerous at all. Quite the opposite in fact, they are melodic to the max with a compelling sound that draws you in and makes you dance.

They have a light touch without straying too far from their rock roots, and yet again seem to relish the crowd participation and love as the set goes on. It only takes a couple of songs before singer Timmy breaks out his acoustic guitar for a power ballad which is a real arm-waver. Of course it’s not all about the new songs, and several old favourites such as ‘Usual Suspects’ and ‘Thirsty’ jostle for attention alongside a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Rocking In The Free World’. Each song is performed with crafted precision, the vocal harmonies are spot-on, the playing is note-perfect but don’t be fooled into thinking there is no heart or soul here. This band have plenty of both, and the crowd carries them metaphorically aloft with a festoon of waved arms and dancing feet. It’s commercial and radio-friendly but without losing the underlying rockiness somehow. Yes Timmy may, unlike the boy in his song that they rarely play these days, have short hair now but he is not Samson and the band has lost none of its strength due to it! The twin guitars interplay nicely, and whilst Norman (or flying-v man as I affectionately refer to him) gets the bulk of the solos his partner in crime Dizzy isn’t averse to stepping forward occasionally and blowing our socks off either.

There’s an occasional toe-dip into a more country-rock style, and a fleeting moment where a little glam-metal Poison influence seems to have crept in – all of this maintains the audience connection and allows for some epic chorus sharing from the vocal masses. They finish, as always, with the song that could have been written for Bryan Adams. ‘Down By The River’; with it’s refrain of a six pack and the radio, it’s evocative of endless sunny summer days spent in the company of good friends and that kind of sums up what The New Roses are all about. Friendship, kinship, sunshine and a love of life. No wonder an evening with them leaves you with a sense of buoyant fulfilment.