It’s been nearly 20 years (yes, 20!!!) since Molly Hatchet last graced these shores and played us into an orgy of the Archetypal Southern Rock....   Many of the assembled in LA2 had waited this long to see their idols and some had traveled from as far a field as Plymouth for the day just to catch up with the band, this date being the only UK date in an extensive 18 month world tour.   Over the years, though, the line up has altered somewhat, and the only long standing member of the current Molly Hatchet is Bobby Ingram, who’s been with the band for 15 years.  But apart from that, not much else has changed!

Now to cut the cackle....

The lights grew very dim and music, classical music was pumped rather than piped into the auditorium....LOUD!   Taken form Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana- Oh Fortuna!’ (The OLD SPICE advert to those who remember it...) this deluge of classix provided a fitting entrance for the band, who after 19 years away, were only 15 minutes late in coming on stage...!   Accompanying Bobby Ingram on lead guitars was Russ Maxwell on guitar, Andy McKinney on stunning long blonde hair and bass (what IS it with these blondes???); John Galvin; keys, Sean Shannon; drums and last but not least, following in the fine tradition of Molly Hatchet vocalists was Phil McCormack doin’ the croonin’...

Trax  included were Down form the Mountain, Dreams I’ll Never See, The Journey from Devils’ Canyon; Saddle Tramp, Fall of the Peacemaker from Silent Reign of Heroes; Heart of the USA, White Lightning from the latest opus Kingdom of XII, and as expected, all trax were delivered with great relish... Other songs amongst those played were Gator Country and Beating the Odds.   I was a teenchy bit disappointed here that they didn’t play that old favourite Boogie No More, but overall, the show did make up for any shortfall...
Kicking off with a blast with old favourite Whiskey Man, these Southern Boogie Specialists played a selection of stuff from a number of their albums spanning across the decades.

Fast and furious, melodic and mellow-ish and hugely entertaining with an almost choreographic co-ordination of guitarist’s performances, there was something extremely classy and elegant amidst the power of Molly Hatchets’ brash and bloozie realization of Southern Rock and Roll.  

Flying the Flag, the Confederate Flag that is, Molly Hatchet set an excellent example of the joys of Southern Rock and carried us off into the Heart of Dixie, rock n’ Roll style.   Ably supported by Vincent Flatt’s Final Drive (from Birmingham...), MH provided an excellent performance all round and one I hope we don’t have to wait another 19 years to repeat!   If you want to know more about the band visit their site: www.mollyhatchet.com.