Angel / A New Tomorrow - Camden Underworld, London (UK) - 23 August 2019

Bit of a surprise with the support band A New Tomorrow tonight which were not an obvious fit for Angel, I thought with their U2/Edge inspired sound. Interesting to see a bass player at an electric gig slapping the wood of his bass instead of the strings - a frustrated drummer? I found it ok, but couldn't wait for Angel.

And there they were, a vision in white, looking amazing! Kicking off with 'On The Rocks', the audience went mad from the off. Following a big solo from Punky and a chance to sample the siren that is Frank Dimino we got the first interval and the band looked slightly stunned at the screams and roars from the crowd. That'll be stunned and stunning then, not at all bad. Frank banged his heart in appreciation of the crowd during 'Wild And Hot', one of my personal favourites, as it illustrates perfectly the Glam Rock side of the band I love, and we got a solo from Punky that just had me writing "wow".




With his elegant fingers and long, lean frame he is the quintessential guitar hero god. During 'Bad Time' Punky and Frank stood back to back, showing the rock-solid unity that they displayed tonight as a band, as a seamless rockin', fightin' machine. 'Cast The First Stone' started with a monster riff, a precursor to another blistering solo from Punky while Frank urged him on, rattling his mike stand like a sabre. The stage filled with mist for 'The Fortune'. With its rippling keyboards, big riffs and Frank's ethereal vocals it is a bit of an epic and we were not even half way through the set. With its fantastic intro and chorus the highly accessible 'Don't Leave Me Lonely' was next. The crowd singalong was unprompted, the guitar was clear as a bell and Charlie Calv held one hand up in triumph as he played his signature keys.

Then it was time for the two covers Angel were known for. First The Young Rascals' 'Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore'. Punky knelt down and played the solo near me and it was enough to turn a girl's head and heart. 'All The Young Dudes' was next and Punky pulled off a beautiful Brian May-type solo to perfection. By the time we get to 'Got Love If You Want It' Punky was saluting the crowd and, all in white, he is quite the officer and a gentleman.

Another group of my favourites followed, 'White Lightning', 'Anyway You Want It' and the archetypal 'Rock 'n' Rollers' By now the band knew they had nailed it, Frank and Punky were beaming and exchanging delighted glances, Danny Anniello was holding his guitar aloft and Frank had his fist raised.




For an encore we received 'The Tower' and what I loved about it was that you know how you get a slow bit of a song and then it really rocks out, making your heart swell with the uplift it gives, that happened about four times. A rollercoaster indeed.

A triumphant return for a band that deserve to be recognised for their place in Rock history. They have a new album 'Risen' on the way. They scaled sublime heights in London tonight, heavenly indeed. I can't wait for them to come back.

Review and photos by Dawn Osborne