GRAHAM OLIVER’S ARMY – 29.11.2024 – Troon

An annual Christmas tradition of ours always includes a few days in the lovely little Scottish town known as Troon, and it just so happens to coincide with the wonderful WinterStorm festival – a true haven for fans of quality hard rock, classic heavy metal, prog, and fiery blues rock. The line-up is always packed with great and oftentimes legendary bands and artists but also new and exciting outfits with a lot to offer. A superb mix of old and new, then. While there were countless highlights and memorable performances over the course of three days in late November this year – some of which included the glorious The Treatment, the revelatory The Damn Truth, and the atmospheric South of Salem – I felt a strong urge to write a few words on the hard-hitting and fierce Graham Oliver’s Army and their inspired forty-minute set on the second day of the festival.

The quintet had the late afternoon/early evening slot on the main stage and managed to fill the venue with eager fans and listeners dying to hear some old-school heavy metal and NWOBHM by one of its architects and pioneers, namely the legendary Graham Oliver of Saxon fame. As a founding member and guitarist of the aforementioned British metal stalwarts between 1976 and 1995, there is very little to be said other than the fact that this was a gig not to be missed. The group exploded right out of the gate and took no prisoners. Sounding sharp, tight, and outright lethal is one thing, but they also had the crowd eating right out of their hand from the get-go, and the energy that was conjured up in the room was palpable. There is undoubtedly much pedigree and raw musical power to the line-up, and things were certainly gelling on stage, which was also emphasized by the smiles all around the venue and not least between the members of the Army itself. Standouts and immortal bangers such as ”Strong Arm of the Law,” “Wheels of Steel,” “Denim and Leather,” “Dallas 1 PM,” “Princess of the Night,” “Motorcycle Man,” and the encore “And the Bands Played On” were delivered with aggression, class, and heaps of passion, and I dare say that everyone there enjoyed having Graham and his talented cohorts transport us back to the late 70s and early 80s. More importantly, seeing someone display so much determination, strength, and sheer will power in the face of adversity (Graham Oliver is battling Parkinson’s Disease) was utterly moving and inspiring to say the least. What a memorable and captivating show!

https://grahamoliversarmy.co.uk