Review: Michael Schenker, O2 Academy

That Michael Schenker has been clean and sober for some years now may be a disappointment to vicarious connoisseurs of rock’n’roll excess. But for those of us who were dismayed at seeing him piss away his immense talent, it’s a relief to know that when he books a gig these days he’ll not only turn up but also manage to play the whole set without falling over in a drunken heap. His grandly named Temple of Rock has enjoyed a fairly stable line-up for the last three years or so, with the original Scorpions rhythm section of drummer Herman ‘Ze German’ Rarebell (now, bizarrely, a business partner of Prince Albert of Monaco) and bassist Francis Bucholz alongside Michael Schenker Group stalwart Wayne Findlay (guitar/keyboards) and genial, stocky Scottish journeyman vocalist Doogie White – who’s still best known for his brief stint fronting Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.

Together, this lot have recorded two albums with a third on the way. But tonight they elect to play just four songs from them. In fact, apart from a couple of minor tweaks, this is pretty much the same set they played here last April. That means no fewer than seven UFO songs, three Scorpions tracks and just three from Schenker’s early eighties chart-bothering days as MSG (or Monosodium Glutamate, as wags referred to them). Now it’s great to hear those UFO and Scorpions classics, and Schenker is fully entitled to play the former as he co-wrote all of them. But unlike Steve Hackett, who’s perfectly justified in keeping the Genesis flame alive because none of his former compatriots seem interested, he faces competition from the extant original bands. The Scorpions’ seemingly never-ending farewell tour arrives on these shores next summer and UFO will be back in this very venue in just four months’ time.

Technically, Schenker is on magnificent form throughout, especially during the instrumentals Coast to Coast and Into the Arena, and a sublime extended solo in Rock Bottom. White, meanwhile, fares well enough on the UFO songs but struggles to mimic Klaus Meine’s distinctive nasal whine when it comes to the Scorpions stuff. The odd thing is that some of the new material they choose to air is really rather good. Add a fiddle and accordion to Lord of the Lost and Lonely, which White introduces as a sea shanty, and it would slot right in alongside the current wave of folk metal. There’s clearly no shortage of fans who’ll turn out to watch Schenker showcasing his stunning guitar tone as he romps through the back catalogue over and over again, but you can’t help wish he’d stop playing safe and treading water.