Live Review: Suzi Quatro - The Royal Albert Hall, London.

Suzi Quatro

The Royal Albert Hall

20/04/22

By Paul Davies

This historical venue turned into a time machine tonight as Suzi Quatro fired up her big seventies hits and blasted out a career-spanning set including rarely aired and deep-cut favourites. As the leather-clad doyenne of the 70s charts with the low-slung bass (that she refers to as her ‘boyfriend’), she purred through her musical gears tonight. Talking about gears, there were plenty of vintage flares flapping around on show within this prestigious stomping ground as her fans went to town in praise of this first among very few equals. Opening her mesmeric set with The Wild One, Suzi rolled out her red carpet of hits as Daytona Demon, 48 Crash, Devil Gate Drive, Your Mamma Won’t Like Me and Can The Can, all written by starry hitmakers Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, rightly enthralled this royal hall. She further surprised the faithful and the curious by summoning more glam royalty to join the party as Sweet’s Andy Scott and Slade’s Don Powell (who flew in from Denmark) and Suzi resurrected their QSP collaboration playing Slow Down and a fiery Rockin' In The Free World that hit the sweet spot.

This pocket dynamo also proved her musical prowess over the decades by plundering songs from her 80s, 90s and 2000s albums. This included her Stumblin’ In (again written by Chapman/Chinn) hit with Smokie’s Chris Norman and, introducing her son Richard Tuckey, she made it a family affair as they raced through No Soul/No Control from 2017’s No Control release and the title track from her most recent The Devil In Me album; demonstrating inflammable proof that she is still at the very top of her game in the studio as she was tonight on this world-renown stage.

Making the most of her time in this historical round theatre, she shared her piano skills on Can I Be Your Girl? and her undoubted four-string chops squeezing out Another One Bites The Dust, Superstition, and Smoke On The Water riffs during her bass solo. Backed by a well-drilled band consisting of a horn section, a pair of energetic backing singers, guitar, drums and keyboards, Suzi sweetly slayed her devoted fans. Yet, the best was arguably to come as she completed her spectacular showbiz set sitting on a stool, centre stage, with one spotlight on her as she delivered a showstopping take of the Eagles’ Desperado to close a timeless show where she sprinkled her distinctive brand of supersonic stardust throughout his hallowed hall. Happy days