and those that weren’t singing along with
Brian could be seen mouthing the words.
For the most part, the trio let the music do
the talking, but Brian got a massive response
to his “Hello London!”
Next up, was a well-performed and well-
received Gene Vincent obscurity, long in
the band’s setlist, Double Talkin’ Baby. Brian
then explained he had attempted to write a
new Gene Vincent-style song and believed
he had succeeded with Three Time’s A
Charm with its typical Vincent stop-start
pattern. Indeed he had.
The dedication of the fans was on display
once more when the intro to Stray Cat Strut
struck up, and had them joining in even
before the fi rst verse had started. Brian had
noted this, extending, and standing stage
front, cocking an ear to the audience to
encourage them.
A particularly thrilling moment arrived
when Lee Rocker had his fi rst slap bass solo,
hefting the heavy instrument around the
stage as though it was weightless.
There’s an a cappella introduction to Gene
And Eddie, a tribute to Vincent and Cochran,
that sees the group vocalising on Be Bop A
Lula before the number, which namechecks
hits by the late-50s pioneers, pipes up.
Again, the audience knew what to expect,
greeting the number warmly.
Throughout, but particularly during his
solo in Cry Danger, Brian displayed the
remarkable guitar skills that trademark the
Stray Cats with similar impact to its logo,
crafted by Brian when he was a teenager.
In various forms that smiling cat design
provided the backdrop for the whole show.
Guitar skills were on show with a brief
improvisation from Brian, before he
dedicated the next number to the late
Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar. It was, of
course, Misirlou.
Apart from playing bass, Lee Rocker is a
more than adequate vocalist, and he got his
place in the sun with lead vocals on When
Nothing’s Going Right and did a fi ne job.
There were crowd shouts for (She’s) Sexy
And 17, and after consulting his bandmates,Brian lit into it, with yet more cheers from
the throng.
Considerable thought had obviously gone
into the setlist to ensure it was not 100 per
cent rockabilly throughout. Case in point,
and taking the tempo down, was a revival of
Dorsey Burnette’s My One Desire, taking the
Cats in a doo-wop direction.
After this welcome breather, it was back
to hard rocking, with the catchy Blast
Off followed closely by Lust In Love, the
crowd-pleasing Fishnet Stockings, and then
a number long-anticipated, Rock This Town,
and they were gone.
There was little chance, shortly after the
80-minute mark, that this audience was
going to let their heroes depart. They had
no less than four encores to come, with the
highly commercial new number Rock It Off,
the second single – or should we say, plug
track? – from the new 40 album.
Built For Speed, a paean to hot rods and
rodders, with great lyrics and guitar riff,
followed before the anticipated climax with
Rumble In Brighton.
The Stray Cats, with members now at,
or pushing, 60, seem unchanging on stage
with no evidence of middle age in either
appearance or music, and they have a solid
fanbase that would turn out every year if
their reunion continues. There’s life in the
old dogs – or Cats – still, and hopefully many
tours to come.Stray CatsThe Stray Cats wowing the crowds yet
again, 40 years on from their formationLee Rocker’s
blond-bleached quiff
was magnifi cent