Nine Below Zero At The Arc

Nine Below Zero

The Arc, Stockton-on-Tees

17.5.2013

Nine Below Zero came close to blowing the roof off The Arc with their potent blend of rock, rhythm and blues.

There has been a change in the line up since I saw them in 2011, with original bass player Brian Bethell back in the group as a replacement for Gerry McAvoy. Elsewhere it's still Dennis Greeves on guitar and vocals, Mark Feltham on harmonicas (as Dennis quipped - ''I've got many friends, but not many who suck and blow for a living'') and Brendan O'Neill on drums.

The pace of their set started off fast and continue to gain in speed and energy as the evening progressed. They played for one hour and forty minutes, finishing around 11.15 p.m.

Highlights included: I Can't Do My Homework Anymore, I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Watch Yourself, Twenty Yards Behind (''I think if you're going to write a song about a bum, that's as good as it gets'') dedicated to Wilko Johnson - ''A dear friend of ours, who's not very well'' Three Times Enough, I'm So Alone and Stop Your Naggin'.

The encore was a blistering 11+11 - which they famously played ''the last time we were on television'' when Nine Below Zero guested on The Young Ones - followed by Woolly Bully.

It was a very entertaining evening, blowing away - in no uncertain terms - any lingering cobwebs from a busy and tiring week

Here's a few more photos to finish with...

Follow their news and tour dates over at the official Nine Below Zero website.