Inglorious album launch gig review

It'll go down in history as one of those "I was there" moments. At the Islington Assembly Hall, on 21 February 2016, a new chapter began in the history book of rock and they named it; Inglorious.


L to R; Will Taylor, Colin Parkinson, Phil Beaver (back), Nathan James and Andreas Eriksson
Photo credit: Dan Haygreen

I'm really struggling to find words to describe the experience of seeing Inglorious because it was so phenomenal, but if you can imagine Deep Purple in their pomp them you will get some kind of idea. Heavy, driving riffs and solos, controlled aggression from the rhythm section, and incredible vocal range make Inglorious an absolute joy to behold, both live and on their debut record.

Their musicianship and seamless chemistry is quite staggering to watch. Andreas Eriksson and Will Taylor share lead and rhythm duties song by song, and are equally comfortable doing a joint solo; blowing many minds in the process. Colin Parkinson (bass) and Phil Beaver (drums) take on the enviable task of driving the Inglorious train forward, in a partnership that is reminiscent of John Paul Jones and John Bonham. Between them they even took on a tight drum and bass instrumental while the rest of the band took a few minutes break. As immensely talented as those guys are, Nathan James' voice steals the show. I'm not exaggerating to say his vocals are an amalgamation of Ian Gillan, David Coverdale and Dio - simply fantastic.

Inglorious rocketed through their set with as much, if not more, power than is presented on their album. Opening with the incredible Until I Die, running through a mash up set of the album's tracks, and throwing in Toto, Rainbow and Deep Purple covers for good measure, Inglorious just got better and better as the night went on.

The biggest surprise for me was Holy Water; as close to an Eagles/Deep Purple song as you're likely to hear. Nathan James described it as only taking 40 minutes to write and rather an 'after thought', for want of a better phrase, to finish the album. It was surprising purely because of how good and different it was in relation to the other 10 tracks on the album, and also probably the best song on the night for audience participation on the chorus.

I was also pleased, but not surprised, at how nice and personable all the members were after the show. I had a decent chat with each of them, except Nathan who was rather rushed away by security, and they all signed my CD and ticket.