Last Great Dreamers

It’s not often that a support band leaves you yearning for more, more, more – especially when the main act consists of none other than ex-Runaways Cherie Curry. But the recently resurrected Last Great Dreamers delivered a half hour show that not only rocked Edinburgh’s premier rock dive to the very foundations but the lads were rewarded with a rapturous vibe from the audience.

Enter Marc Valentine on vocals and guitar, Slyder on guitar and backing vocals, Ian Scruffykid on bass and Denley Slade on drums… and what you get is a whirlwind of a show that packs all the punches. It leaves you wondering just how much more energetic the quartet might be, were they allotted a bigger stage with considerable more space. Not that lack of space turned out to be an obstacle for Marc and Co, far from it! Despite the venue’s ‘intimate living room’ ambience, which by the end of the night had turned into a merciless sweatbox, the band gave it their all!

‘Lunacy Lady’ was the first song of the short repertoire, and the punters were hooked straight away. With the Dreamer’s irresistible blend of glam-infused power pop/rock and high-octane delivery you just knew that this was going to be a cracker! Playing a mix of old songs and new material, these rock ‘n’ roll dandies are a force to be reckoned with and you had better believe it! After ‘Only Crime’ the band played new song ‘White Light, Black Heat’ – the B-side of their current single ‘Dope School’. While Slyder remained rooted at his corner, he nonetheless did that ‘ride the electric riff with a vengeance’ thing to perfection. Meanwhile, it was Marc and the Scruffikid who not only displayed bona fide instrumental skills (and in Marc’s case also a suitably penetrating voice) but the physical accompaniment perfected each riff, cord and tune. Particularly impressive was Marc’s unique way of moving about the stage while grinding away on his guitar, at times holding it above his head while spinning around 360 degrees… it reminded of the iconic ‘chainsaw dance’ brought to fame and notoriety by ‘Leatherface’ – a creation which the late Gunnar Hansen made his own. On the drums front, Denley bashed away holding the spine of each composition upright.

Next up came ‘’Supernature Natural’ and ‘Far From Home’, though it was during ‘Ashtrey Eyes’ that even those punters squashed into the corner of the exit/entrance hole began to shake their thing and rock along to these kickass tunes.
‘Last Great Dreamer’ is an anthem by the band to the band (ha!) but the place truly stomped when them Dreamers blasted through their recent hit ‘Dope School’ – it was quite frankly awesome, and an exercise in accomplished teamwork.
Watch out for the band when they set the UK ablaze in the New Year!

(Please read my interview with LAST GREAT DREAMERS Marc and Slyder in the ‘Interviews’ section).