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LITA FORD @ Prince Bandroom, St Kilda, 23/5/2013

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From the moment Lita Ford and her band appeared on stage, there was an extremely positive vibe that immediately filled the room. One of heavy metal’s classic rockers was finally standing before us, dressed to the nines in a skin tight leather body suit and high heeled boots, smiling from ear to ear. She was glad to be back and we were glad to have her.

Wasting no time in getting down to business, Ford rips right into an incredible cover of Elton John’s The Bitch Is Back, tongue held firmly in cheek, while she shreds from riff to riff setting the tone for the night’s show. Hungry was the perfect follow up and seeing Ford play the way she does was a jaw-dropping experience. As a guitarist, she is as great as her peers, shredding like the best of them and delivering the goods. It was awesome.

New tracks like the hard rockin’ Relentless, the heavy riffage of Devil In My Head, and the anthemic title track of her latest album, Living Like A Runaway, all got showcased tonight to a hugely receptive crowd. Whether she is kicking out the jams with Gotta Let Go or reducing the audience to tears with the heartbreaking ballad of Mother, Ford was on fire singing with such passion and unrelenting power that her only break from the stage came in the form of a drum solo during the ass-kicker, Can’t Catch Me.

The biggest surprise of all was hearing Lita and her band crank out a cover of The Runaways’ classic, Cherry Bomb, before finishing off with the tearjerker Close My Eyes Forever and possibly her most famous song of all, Kiss Me Deadly. Like the rest of her set, it all went down a storm and the crowd sang along to every word.

It has to be said that Ford’s backing band is solid. Watching fellow lead guitarist, Mitch Perry, trading licks with the blonde bombshell while Marty O’Brien drives the rhythm with a thumping bassline as Bobby Rock pounds the skins like there’s no tomorrow, there is no denying the band’s tight playing and awesome sound. As Lita herself said “I brought you Hollywood’s finest!”, each member is a craftsman in their field but together with their charismatic front-woman, they are an unstoppable rock n roll machine.

Lita Ford’s show was a downright good time. The whole gig was exactly what you wanted. A great choice of songs and the vibe all night was nothing but happy and the smiling faces around the room confirmed just that. This was a night to be remembered and here’s hoping we will see her back again.

Setlist

The Bitch Is Back
Hungry
Relentless
Living Like A Runaway
Gotta Let Go
Devil In My Head
Back To The Cave
Mother
Under The Gun
Can’t Catch Me
Out For Blood
Cherry Bomb
Black Leather
Close My Eyes Forever
Kiss Me Deadly

Photos by James Demetrie

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