Rough-Edged Vocals, Timeless Swagger

Read Time:5 Minute, 22 Second

MUSIC REVIEW
The Quireboys – Live At Rockpalast 2007 & 1990

Genre: Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Sleaze Rock
Year Released: 2025 (recorded 1990, 2007)
Runtime: 2h 9m
Where To Listen: will be released on September 12, 2025; pre-order your copy here: www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: THE QUIREBOYS – LIVE AT ROCKPALAST is less a live album and more a time capsule. Split across two concerts—one from 1990 at Cologne’s Live Music Hall and another from 2007 at Bonn’s Crossroads Festival—the release captures not just a band but an entire attitude that defined British sleaze rock. By presenting both eras back-to-back, the package highlights the hunger of a band still climbing and the seasoned grit of musicians who had weathered the ups and downs of two decades in the industry.

The first show, recorded April 4, 1990, finds The Quireboys at the height of their early success. Fresh off their debut, A Bit of What You Fancy, they performed with the kind of charm that made them favorites on both sides of the Atlantic. Spike’s unmistakable rasp already sounded like it had been pickled in whiskey, and tracks like “7 O’Clock” and “Hey You” burst with the swagger that made them staples of late ’80s and early ’90s hard rock. Supporting him, the original lineup of Guy Bailey, Nigel Mogg, Rudy Richman, and Chris Johnstone performed a rough-and-tumble looseness, leaning into blues influences while delivering stadium-ready choruses. Even then, the band felt like a throwback to the early Stones—raucous, imperfect, and utterly magnetic.

Seventeen years later, the October 18, 2007, performance at Bonn’s Harmonie revealed a different but equally compelling version of the band. By then, only Spike and Guy Griffin remained from the debut lineup, but the replacements—Jimi Crutchley, Paul Guerin, Pip Mailing, and Keith Weir—were hardly second-stringers. The band’s sound was tighter, more professional, but no less energetic. When Spike roared, “We are The Quireboys … and this is rock ’n’ roll!” at the start of the set, it felt like a mission statement. The years hadn’t dulled their passion; if anything, they’d honed it.

What makes the two shows fascinating side by side is the contrast in tone. The 1990 gig is all wild chaos, a band trying to prove itself to a bigger audience. The 2007 set is the sound of a group that knows exactly who they are—confident, relaxed, but still capable of raising the roof. Songs like “Roses and Rings” or “I Don’t Love You Anymore” show how well their catalog holds up, whether played by the youthful original crew or the later lineup. For longtime fans, it’s a reminder that the band’s heart never changed, even as faces on stage did.

The track lists are generous and overlapping, ensuring favorites appear in both sets. Hearing “Sex Party” or “7 O’Clock” in two distinct versions is particularly rewarding—it’s less about comparing quality than appreciating the evolution. Both work, and together they underscore why The Quireboys remained cult heroes rather than relics.

Production-wise, the release is as comprehensive as fans could hope for. The audio is crisp, balancing Spike’s delivery with the band’s bluesy riffs. The DVD presentation (with interview footage from 2007) adds context, showing a group that never took themselves too seriously but always took the music seriously enough to keep it going. The bonus inclusion of their cover of Muddy Waters’ “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” highlights their roots, connecting British sleaze rock directly back to its blues foundations.

At over two hours across three discs, LIVE AT ROCKPALAST is not a casual listen but a deep dive. It’s aimed squarely at fans (or in my case, a new listener)—those who want not just the hits but the full immersion. That’s both its strength and its limitation: newcomers might wonder why the band never broke wider, while devotees will celebrate how little that matters. The Quireboys’ charm lives in their barroom grit, their refusal to polish what worked perfectly in its roughness.

As The Quireboys celebrate the 35th anniversary of A Bit of What You Fancy, this release feels especially timely. It’s a reminder of the band’s resilience, their commitment to keeping rock ’n’ roll both chaotic and joyful, and their ability to age without losing swagger. Spike’s voice may be older, but it carries the same smirk, the same mischief, and the same ragged sincerity that first put them on stage before Guns N’ Roses back in ’89.

In the end, THE QUIREBOYS – LIVE AT ROCKPALAST is more than just a double live album. It’s a story told in two acts: exuberance and endurance. Together, they prove that rock doesn’t need reinvention to survive—it just needs honesty, grit, and the refusal to quit. The Quireboys deliver all three!.

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[photo courtesy of MADE IN GERMANY MUSIC, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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