John 5 (with support from Dan Byrne and The Fear) Slay, Glasgow - Review

John William Lowery, better known to his legion of fans as John 5, has come a long way since taking his first tentative steps in music by playing bars in his native Michigan. From cutting his teeth by working with rock and metal legends Rob Halford and David Lee Roth to finding great success as shock rocker Marilyn Manson’s axeman before Rob Zombie came calling, it all culminated in him being recruited as Mick Mars’ replacement in Motley Crue in 2022. That gig has seen him performing with the legendary band all over the world, a role that the ever-youthful looking 56-year-old was clearly made for, as I witness myself at a rain-sodden Glasgow Green a few years ago. But behind all that, John 5 has always kept a solo career burning, with latest solo album ‘Ghost’ released last year. The UK leg of that album’s tour should have been in May but the often make-up clad shock rock guitarist rescheduled the dates to October, fittingly nearer Halloween… and even more fittingly in a Glasgow venue called Slay!

UK rockers The Fear, who I believe hail from somewhere around the Manchester area had a few sound issues, mainly due to an unfortunate problem with their singer’s microphone. But it didn’t knock them off balance, as the held the attention of the Glasgow audience with a short but high-energy set. Another up-and-coming UK act, the awesome Dan Byrne was next up and he wasted no time in demonstrating his showstopping vocals, as heard on his recent excellent debut album ‘This is Where the Show Begins’. Byrne used all 8 songs in the set to persuade the audience that he is very much the real deal, particularly on the epic ‘Death of Me’. Let’s hope we see him back in Scotland sooner rather than later.

There was very little time for chat from John 5, who preferred to communicate via guitar and song as opposed to unnecessary chitter chatter. After all, that’s why we go to gigs, so perhaps other artists should take note! Kicking off with the heavy, chugging ‘Season of the Witch’ from 2017 album of the same name before a thunderous, shredding rendition of ‘The Ghost’, a frantic ‘Six Hundred and Sixty Six Pickers in Hell CA and the fun country-like hoedown of ‘Howdy’, John 5 had the audience in awe of his spectacular guitar skills. I mean… we all knew… but it’s different to see it live again!

‘Strung Out’ from latest album Ghost was back to the heavier vibe… but with the kind of melodic sensibility that most hard rock guitarists would kill for. ‘Fiend’, another new one from the Ghost album, has an early Motley Crue sound to the opening riff before he lets rip with some fast explosive fret-work that left a trail of smoke from the venue all the way down Glassford Street! New single ‘The Phantom’, released just in time for the tour, was much of the same whilst ‘Crank It’ had an almost techno-beat that gave the audience a chance to jump a bit… albeit not too many did! ‘How High’ and the brilliant ‘I Am John 5’ (just in the event you didn’t know!) have completely different musical vibes but act as a superb reminder of the genre-bending flexibility of the man, with the Delta bluesy ‘You, Me and the Devil Makes Three’ further proving the point. It wasn’t until around the harder hitting ‘Deviant’ that the guitarist uttered his first words, a rather awkward “Hello Glasgow”… before going straight into ‘Que Pasa’, the almost jazz bar ‘Moon Glow’ and the ultra-sludgy, ultra heavy opening of ‘The Black Grass Plague’.

John 5 doesn’t need Motley Crue’s music to wow the audience at his solo shows… but what the hell! He’s making a living from their music now, so perhaps it’s no surprise that a medley of music from the glam rock legends ended the main set before a blistering cover of Eurythmics ‘Sweet Dreams’ (Are Made of This) brought the evening to a close… done in the style of Marilyn Manson’s cover, of course!

John 5 deserves his time in the limelight with Motley Crue. He’s worked towards such superstardom his whole musical life, often more as a sideman to more famous headline names. But one listen to his solo work or a night at one of his solo gigs shows why he was so sought after by so many artists throughout his career. John 5 is so much more than a one trick guitar pony. His ability to effortlessly straddle genres, speeding up and down the fretboard one minute whilst slowing to a bluesy dance the next is what makes him so special. Here’s hoping it’s not another decade or so before John 5 brings his solo show back to Glasgow.