Paul Di’Anno, The Dirty Pagans, Firestorm @ The Gov, Adelaide 17/1/2024
The original voice behind Iron Maiden’s first two albums, 1980 self titled and 1981’s Killers, Paul Di’Anno was back in Australia which included a stop in Adelaide at The Gov. It was a small die hard contingent of Iron Maiden fans that made it to the show, and it was great to see plenty of vintage t-shirts. It was an interesting show for many reasons and one we won’t forget for some time.
Broken Hill band Firestorm, hats off to them driving six and a half hours to Adelaide on show day, played a rampaging set to get things going. They describe themselves as “outback power/ thrash wasteland warriors” and they play with plenty of zest and intensity. Maybe a tad nervous supporting an icon I really do think they have something and the future does look promising. Their singles Darkness Calls and Control, Demise are killer so we look forward to seeing more in the future.
The Dirty Pagans have been building a solid reputation for a killer live set doing the same at The Gov. They have plenty of swagger and there is something about this stoner death metal band that holds attention. Matty Dee tried valiantly to rev the crowd up and even his sarcasm was lost on the crowd. Dirty Pagans played a super tight set and they are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Set highlights included Down Below, I Am The One and new tunes You Know My Name and Forever High.
It was unfortunate that Noturnall could not play with their band equipment and singer still in transit to Australia from Brazil. Bass player Saulo Xakol apologised to the Adelaide faithful for not playing and encouraged people to buy some merchandise to help them get back home.
There’s probably a couple of ways of looking at Paul Di’Anno’s show. For diehard fans to hear the man behind those songs from those infamous Iron Maiden albums would have been a huge buzz but others like myself would be wanting more and expecting better. It didn’t help having a delayed flight from Perth to Adelaide and going straight from the airport to the venue. For anyone to back that up is a tough ask and it was quite clear that Di’Anno looked uncomfortable and in a significant amount of pain in his wheelchair right from the get-go add to that some health concerns was going to require a herculean effort to get through the show. Some might say that’s a lot of excuses and that’s touring but raises even more questions health, economic survival, making an income and doing justice to your legacy.
The first part of the set seemed to build the momentum with Wrathchild, Sanctuary and Charlotte The Harlot. The red flags were starting to appear and Di’Anno’s demeanour was changing with some colourful language and the crowd being quite reserved. Take nothing away from his band they were in ripping form and no doubt would have been a tough assignment working with Di’Anno whose demeanour and mood was unpredictable. Murders In Rue Morgue, Remember Tomorrow, Genghis Khan and Killers followed.
Even with pain relief you could tell something wasn’t quite right but they ploughed on through Phantom of the Opera, Purgatory and Transylvania. Di’Anno spoke about wanting to return next year to Australia and be able to walk in to the venue. We all share that optimism. It was during Prowler were things came to end and Di’Anno looked really unwell and he moved himself side of stage then moved off stage. The band played an extended outro to the song before being given the signal that Di’Anno would not be returning. Fans looked confused, shocked and not really sure what was happening but the band returned to thank the crowd and said that Di’Anno was to unwell to continue. Health comes first and we all hope that he gets the help he needs as questions will be asked about whether this tour should have even happened in the first place. Definitely not the way we want to be remembering Paul Di’Anno.
Live Review By Rob Lyon