A 2011 episode of South Park took playful aim at Slash, parodying the Guns N’ Roses guitarist as a mythical Dutch legend called Vunter Slaush with the ability to perform everywhere at once. There’s truth in every joke.
Between shows in South Korea and the Philippines, Slash made an impromptu appearance at the Academy Awards, flanking Ryan Gosling with a honeyburst Les Paul guitar for a performance of I’m Just Ken from the Oscar-nominated Barbie. While testament to his enduring mainstream appeal, tonight is a more orthodox setting for the legendary, top-hatted guitarist.
Wolfgang Van Halen – son of late guitar hero Eddie – also rubbed shoulders with Gosling in Hollywood, and it’s his band Mammoth WVH supporting Slash and co on this latest global trek. Their brand of muscular, belligerent rock showcases Van Halen’s supreme talent, but they fail to fully ignite in a confusingly short, six-song set.
Not to be confused with Slash’s other, snappier solo namesake, simply “Slash” – with which he’s recently announced an all-star blues covers album called Orgy of the Damned – “Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators” encompasses a body of work written with Alter Bridge’s Kennedy, the American hard-rock heavyweights’ much-lauded vocalist.
What Kennedy lacks in attitude and the unpredictability of an Axl Rose or a Scott Weiland, he makes up for with a supple, powerhouse range perfectly suited to Slash’s bluesy pomp. Taken from the band’s latest album, 4, C’est la Vie marries Kennedy’s honeyed vocals with the guitarist’s wah-wah-heavy riffs, as he stomps around the drum riser in his Converse shoes.
Since Slash cowrote it, a breezy cover of Lenny Kravitz’s Always on the Run fits in seamlessly with its swaggering rhythms. If tonight is mainly about the guitarist, then soaring power ballad Bent to Fly is all about Kennedy, as he unleashes his spectacular caterwaul. Bassist Todd Kerns has a decent set of pipes himself – he takes lead vocals for a few songs, including GNR’s Bad Apples from 1991.
Wicked Stone is the band’s best song, on account of its bluesy brawn and devil-may-care riffs – it’s mesmerising to watch him in full flow, but Slash’s extended 10-minute solo is excessive. “This is why we do it,” Kennedy says, “for crowds like you. You guys are outstanding.”
Born Saul Hudson in London and partly raised up the road in Stoke-on-Trent, Slash obviously has a knack for side hustles. The irony is that whether by accident or design, he’s cultivated a brand in that wherever the frizzy-haired man wearing the top hat and aviator sunglasses goes, boisterous, blues-soaked rock’n’roll is never far behind. Where will he turn up next?
• Touring Manchester on Tuesday, Glasgow on Wednesday, London Friday, then Europe and US. Details here
