Diamond Head : Academy, Manchester, England, 07/02/2005




Set list: It's Electric / Mine All Mine / The Prince / Give It To Me / Truckin / Heat of the night / Broken Pieces /Helpless / Am I Evil.



I saw u guys at the Manchester Academy and u rocked ass. AM I EVIL? YES I AM
jason

Anyone who knows me will attest the fact that I am a full blown, old-school, Sean Harris worshipping Diamond Head fan. The mere thought of someone else fronting Diamond Head, was for me, totally unthinkable. My first thought when I heard Harris has left the band and a replacement had been found was, "but he's not Sean Harris." In saying that, I was trying to go with an open mind, willing to give new singer, Nick Tart a chance, and as soon as we entered Manchester Academy 1, the recognisable opening riff of Am I Evil was already ripping its way round the hall. Out of habit more than anything else, I ran to the front as the new Diamond Head line-up segued into classic, It's Electric.
Obviously, having seen Diamond Head on 7 other occasions, it is hard for me not to compare Nick Tart with Sean Harris. From my perspective, I feel that Tart doesn't sing the older material with the same confidence or style that Harris does, which on one hand is to be expected, but is something that irks me none the less. The new material however, was really enjoyable and is where Tart can really showcase his abilities. I wasn't familiar with songs such as the rocking Mine All Mine but, I have to admit, Tart sings it brilliantly.
It almost goes without saying that Brian Tatler, Eddie Moohan and Karl Wilcox have all played an integral part in the Diamond Head sound over the years and new guitarist, Mills, is fitting in a treat. For Nick Tart, he will undoubtedly grow into his role as lead singer, particularly with the emphasis in the setlist on the new songs over the old. After the show, we bumped into bassist, Eddie, and after chatting with him at length about the tour and new line-up, we shall undoubtedly catch some of the UK gigs later this year.
Review by Angelwitch

Photographs courtesy of Mick Payton