By Dion Smith, Journalist, and Paula Smith, Photographer – Rock At Night Bristol
Gypsy Pistoleros Live Review – The Thunderbolt Bristol – May 18th 2024
I arrived by car in sunny Bristol and made my way to “The Thunderbolt” pub in Totterdown. I must say it’s actually really great to see that there is still a thriving and vibrant music scene in Bristol, not only with the larger venues like the O2 Academy and the newly refurbished Beacon, but at smaller venues like this. You can really find some great music gems in these kind of places. Plus it’s really fantastic to see fans of rock music coming out in droves and still enjoying great music when its in town. Thumbs up Bristol!
Gypsy Pistoleros are here in Bristol as part of their 2024 Viva La Revolution tour and are supporting their latest album release “Duende A Go Go Loco”.
As I have not seen or heard this band before I did my research in advance and discovered that Gypsy Pistoleros already have a decent amount of albums under their belt which is really great to see, and on first impressions of their back catalogue I am getting notes and flavours of punk, and glam rock right out of the gate. According to their wiki they have influences including the likes of LA Guns and Faster Pussycat. Both bands hailing from the “Sunset Strip” era in Los Angeles with many appearances at “The Whisky” and “Gazzari’s.” Tonight is shaping up to be an awesome night of LA-infused Rock.
As I enter I see a nice friendly chilled atmosphere and everyone enjoying themselves, having a lot of laughs and a drink or two in the pub gardens. To my surprise the pub is absolutely packed so I am guessing that Gypsy Pistoleros and their 2024 tour support have a strong following in the area.
First up were support bands Alien Stash Tin and Adam and the Hellcats, who both did a very admirable job of warming up the already enthusiastic Bristol crowd on this late spring night. Bristol band “Hellcats” performed a very strong and confident set with lead singer Adam Feasey being backed up by none other than his dad Tony on drums. How great is that? This band can really rock and I was very impressed with their performance overall. Vocalist Adam was overcome with emotion during the show and this indeed shows how much heart, soul and passion flows into their music.
So now for the main act of the night…the eagerly anticipated Gypsy Pistoleros arrive onstage to an eruption of cheers and applause by the tightly packed audience in The Thunderbolt.
The very distinctive makeup worn by the members of Gypsy Pistoleros is a vital part of their flamboyant stage persona and image and is an integral part of their larger-than-life onstage presence. This adds to the spectacle and allure of the bands live performances.
Gypsy Pistoleros kicked off their set with their fantastic new album title track “Duende A Go Go Loco” delivering a strong and somewhat intense build up of drums, bass and guitar. Vocalist Lee Mark Jones, (AKA Gypsy Lee Pistolero), having a great stage presence, and drummer Craig Pistolero Sharpe and bassist Kez Pistolero White both delivering a very solid rhythm section. Guitarist Shane Pistolero Sparkz is handling the guitar duties and intersperses rock infused guitar riffs with melodic guitar lines and solos.
Then came “Livin’ la Vida Loca” (living the crazy life) originally by Ricky Martin, and “Welcome to the Hotel la Muerto” from their Forever Wild Beautiful and Damned album. Both are fantastic tracks with driving heavy guitar riffs and with a solid punk rock vocal delivery. Drummer Craig does an admirable job delivering a solid rhythm section and his drumming is incredibly tight and solid.
Then came “Maybe Tomorrow” from the new album, followed by “Viva la Revolution, Viva Zapata” from The Mescalito Vampires album. So far I am very impressed with this bands music and performance onstage. The band deliver an interesting blend of punk rock / and rock ’n’ roll a
The band work well together onstage and look like they are enjoying every note being played. Bassist Kez and wearer of a permanent smile onstage is dancing around and accenting the guitar rhythms by stomping on the floor along with the heavy chunky muted guitar rhythms. The band’s chemistry was evident as they seamlessly transition between their songs.
Then came “I’m in Love with Myself”, “I Got It All” and “What’s it Like to be a Girl” again from their new album. The new material a definite step up and indeed a very solid sounding record.
“Switchblade Kiss Comes Close,” “Una Para Todo Es Bandido,” and “Tears in the Rain” were next and showcased the bands musicianship and upbeat vibe onstage, they are clearly enjoying every minute.
Finally the encore of “Wild is the Wind” and “Come on Aileen”, the latter being a massive hit for Dexy’s Midnight Runners in the 80’s. Gypsy Pistoleros do an amazing job of adding some heavy guitar textures and really rocking this song, which goes down extremely well with the crowd.
Gypsy Pistoleros had delivered a performance for all ages, leaving their mark on all who were fortunate enough to be in attendance tonight. As the final notes of their encore faded into the night, the excited Bristol crowd erupted into applause and were reluctant to let the magic of the evening come to an end.
As the audience spilled out into streets of Bristol, buzzing with excitement, one thing was clear: the Gypsy Pistoleros have proved themselves to be a great live band with some really solid albums some great high energy songs to their name.
Well done, Gypsy Pistoleros, you do indeed rock and I will be back again when you ‘re back in town.
PHOTO GALLERY
SOCIAL MEDIA
” I think it’s very important to surround yourself with like-minded people who are as dedicated as you are,and if you work hard and develop your craft over time, great things will follow”
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