LIVE REVIEW: Steel Panther @ Manchester Academy, Manchester

With the days now getting milder, we’re approaching the peak of “suns out, guns out” season. Though caution is typically thrown to the wind by STEEL PANTHER fans who will brave all conditions to don fishnets and look bitchin. It’s just nice to do it without the risk of hypothermia. That aside, we set off to celebrate vocalist Michael Starr’s birthday in style at the Manchester date of the On The Prowl tour.

For those not familiar with 80s metal and dads dominating the radio, WINGER were a band who enjoyed moderate success within the late 80s and early 90s. Yes, one of the bands who suffered at the hands of the Grunge Revolution. Now some 30 years later, the original line up has reunited from stints with ALICE COOPER and WHITESNAKE to promote recent album Seven (2023). Warming up for a band as raunchy as STEEL PANTHER is no easy task but it’s interesting to see what the veterans do with their hour set time.

With the powerhouse trio of Reb Beach, Paul Taylor, and John Roth covering all the bases on the guitar slinging front, we are confronted with a wall of dirty riffs with Can’t Get Enuff. Kip Winger saunters onto the stage with bass in hand and takes to the mic. A slight issue being the vocals are sat far too low in the mix, rendering them inaudible at several points throughout the show. Though it doesn’t prove an issue for the crowd who are rambunctiously singing along at the top of their voices. Seventeen – though lyrically questionable now – receives a wonderful reception from the fans. Though it’s the outing for newer track Proud Desperado which provides a surprising reaction. While Seven has only been available for a few weeks at time of writing, the fans lap up every note of John Roth’s disgusting riff and scream every word.

Big hit Miles Away has the reception it deserves. Having been written by Paul Taylor during his stint with ALICE COOPER, the story of being let down by someone close to you still rings as true today as it would have back then. It’s during this we clock Michael Starr in the wings for his guest feature on later song Heading For A Heartbreak. Starr wanders onto the stage, picks up the mic, and decimates the big time hit. A touch scratchy on a note which could probably only be audible to dogs and dolphins, but the rest of the performance is stellar.

What doesn’t swing in WINGER’s favour is the lengthy hour-long set time. A result of another support band pulling out with no time to find a replacement. The final third of the set, littered with shredding solos from Reb Beach (who made the right choice leaving WHITESNAKE), simply drags in places. Which is a shame as WINGER are an amazing technical band with some solid material. However technicalities sometimes get the best of us all.

Rating: 7/10

For a band like STEEL PANTHER; high energy, raunchy, controversial, the set list is key. So imagine our dismay when fan favourites 17 Girls In A Row and Pussywhipped were omitted from this tour. Though we understand the reasoning – recent album On The Prowl deserves to have its material aired.

Rather than open with new material, the band opts to start proceedings with Eyes Of A Panther from 2009’s Feel The Steel. The quartet bound onto the stage and the energy is simply off the charts. People of all ages squeal at their highest register as Michael Starr shimmies his way to the front and lays waste to arguably some of STEEL PANTHER’s best material. Let Me Cum In and Asian Hooker quickly follow – the latter featuring a girl from the audience fully embracing being invited on stage and flashing bare chest and other body parts to the enjoyment of the middle aged men in the crowd. Musically this band is a well oiled machine with guitarist Satchel burning through the solos like they’re not even second nature.

Which brings us to the new recruit. After Lexxi Foxx’s departure in 2021, the band found new bassist Spyder. With this being a slight baptism of fire for the bassist, he does appear slightly awkward within the persona. Not a criticism in the slightest – he has the comedic chops and sharp wit to keep up with the jokes about orgies, incest, and DEF LEPPARD’s Rick Allen. We hope in time Spyder warms to us as we have to him.

The Burden Of Being Wonderful bleeds into latest single Friends With Benefits. Satchel’s riffing feels as slimy as the titular arrangement can. Drummer Stix Zadinia keeps excellent time while the crowd falls to pieces over lines such as “you get to drive my Maserati/ I get to shower in your piss”. Golden showers aren’t the only kink referenced throughout the show but this is the only time it’s obvious for people to hear. After a devastating solo from Satchel which samples VAN HALEN’s Eruption, the frantic Death To All But Metal makes a premature appearance. The vitriol towards other genres is as real in the room as it was when the song first came out to critics’ trepidation. It’s here where the energy STEEL PANTHER is known for drops significantly.

1987, Ain’t Dead Yet, and Girl From Oklahoma are the band’s slower material and it comes as an oddity these are all placed so close together. Though we get to celebrate the music of the 80s, the fact these people on the stage haven’t succumbed to cocaine binges yet, and girls of all shapes and appearances… even if you do have a “Poison laminate inside of your ass”. We’re here for it. In a move which was previously reserved for Weenie Ride, Girl From Oklahoma has two ladies; Amy and Kim, join the band on stage to be the titular girl, and also the subject of impromptu songs about fallopian tubes and flashing tits.

Two become… well we’ve lost count but Party All Day (Fuck All Night) welcomes a plethora of women on stage. To the point we can’t actually see the band anymore and at one point, can’t hear them from the pit. Over the years, STEEL PANTHER have had many women on stage – including this avid writer – but the pay off doesn’t seem that great this time round as the ladies are ushered off after one song before the band launch into Community Property – another slow track.

Finishing the night off with Gloryhole – as you do on a Wednesday – we leave the show feeling slightly underwhelmed. While STEEL PANTHER finished with a bang, it isn’t always the finish which makes the experience. The energy felt mismatched throughout and this show simply wasn’t the same as it had been in previous years. Still caked in sweat and riding a high some people could only get from Cialis, yes, but something about this makes us think we were given a dodgy batch.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: 

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