Tumbleweed fans were treated to an impromptu gig at Crowbar a couple of weeks back. A last minute cancellation saw the 90s favourites called into battle with only 2 weeks notice, so the boys came out of hiding and lead singer Richie Lewis paused finalising his solo album to take to the stage with long time friends, Nunchukka Superfly and new(er) to the scene, TBX.
A testament to their longstanding popularity, 200 tickets were snapped up in the first 12 hours with a final headcount somewhere around 400 on the night. TBX opened the night and the five piece had the venue filled with female fronted rhythmic metal. Definitely a good warm up to get our ears primed for the wall of sound that Tumbleweed are renowned for. TBX seem quite new to the scene, looking through their socials they’ve only got a few gigs under their belt but they keep good company so no doubt we will be seeing more of them around the traps.
Next up were long time mates of the main act, the threesome that are Nunchukka Superfly. With Peter ‘Blackie’ Black and Ray Ahn both from Hard Ons, joined by John Banicevic on drums, they did their usual and filled the stage with nervous raucous energy, passionately delivered vocals, tight punk riffs, skillful drum fills and seriously wicked bass. Not to mention of course, fantastic stage banter and quick witted jokes. I’ve had the pleasure of shooting these guys several times, each gig even better than the last and the respect and friendship I witness between them is simply a joy to be around not to mention, is reflected in their music and performance. The passion they have for the scene is also extremely evident – seeing them always watching the support bands as well as running into them at so many gigs as punters, goes a little way to explaining why they’ve enjoyed longstanding success in such a fickle industry.
Tumbleweed finally hit the stage to a packed room filled with loyal fans that were very grateful to finally see them in 2023. The wall of sound reminded me that I probably should have been wearing earplugs but at the same time, I didn’t want to miss any of what was being delivered to my ears. As much as I knew the popular songs back in the 90s, I am a reasonably new ‘weed fan so am super grateful any time I get the opportunity to catch them live. Richie is a delight to photograph with his flowing locks and the way he moves his long limbs to the all encompassing Tumbleweed sound always providing plenty to capture and (I think), I’ve been able to get something different with each shoot. Punters were extremely enthusiastic and rightly so – they performed brilliantly and no one would have guessed they hadn’t been touring relentlessly and perfecting their set over months. Their first show this year and is was a banger! As much as this was to be our only chance to catch them this year, it seems the temptation to play again after such a successful set was just too much, so we are lucky to be able to see them just one more time with Regurgitator next month on 12 November – Newcastle you’re in for one hell of a night out, tickets here.
