Four Wheel Drive @ Big Red, Holloway Road

My first time seeing this excellent band, they pop up in a couple of future reviews and Grapevine posted this one on their site.

Saturday 1st December 2012
Written by Ryan Whitwell

The freezing temperatures around North London greeted me as I walked up Holloway Road to The Big Red for a free gig. Luckily they had some spiced rum and hot apple at the bar, so the cold went away pretty quickly and I soon realised that The Big Red could be my new favourite venue. It’s hard to describe but I liked the mis-matched American style décor, the lovely bar staff and the retro movie memorabilia, but I wasn't there to look at Russ Meyer posters, I was there to see some high voltage rock and roll!

My ear drums were suitably rattled by a new heroine of heavy metal, Mia Klose and her band. If I had to describe them in one word, that word would be ‘eighties’. I was mightily impressed with the Swedish lass’ impressive vocals and solid rock songs as the Motley Crüe and Scorpions influences shone through. The songs were well received but the real highlight for me was the amazing guitar work coming from the two guitarists on stage. I love a good guitar solo and these guys had plenty to offer, with some old rock and roll and blues riffs running through most of the set list it all added up to result in a great sound.

The headliners, Four Wheel Drive, managed to build on the excellent vibe around The Big Red by performing an amazing array of songs. They started the first half with a barrage of covers that often rivaled the quality of the original recordings. The likes of AC/DC, Led Zep, Airbourne, Aerosmith were all given the Four Wheel Drive treatment but supposedly unrehearsed version of Guns and Roses’ You Could Be Mine featuring Mia Klose and the bassist from her band was a highlight.

After a short break the four piece delivered a set of their own songs, mixing their new EP with tracks from their 2009 album (both available on iTunes). I hadn't really heard too many of their songs before, only the ones I had seen on my Facebook news feed from my mates, but as soon as I got home I immediately went to the iTunes store. There were echoes from the first half of the show as all those influences came together to create an amazing blend of classic rock and heavy metal. Each song was a driving rock and roll onslaught. The guitarists were on fire, opting to use their wireless guitar pick-ups to their full extent by wandering around the bar in the center of the venue and standing on tables to give everyone a good view of their nimble fingers dancing around the fret board.

There wasn't a bad moment in the set and I would gladly be quoted as saying these guys are one of the best bands I’ve seen in 2012 so far. So good in fact that I’m seeing them again on the 15th of December when they support Cambridge metal merchants The Treatment at Camden Underworld. I'll see you down the front!

Want some Four Wheel Drive? www.fourwheeldriverocks.com
Or a bit of Mia Klose? www.miaklose.com

Massive thanks to my buddy Arran for telling about the gig, well worth it!