FM / ROMEOS DAUGHTER

Holmfirth Picturedrome Saturday 23 January 2016

A near capacity crowd made their way, on a cold and very wet winters evening, to
the fantastic venue that is the Holmfirth Picturedrome. This was my twelve time seeing the
mighty FM since they opened for Bon Jovi back in 1986 on the Slippery When Wet tour.
This was only the second date of an eight-date UK tour and already the band was firing on all
cylinders. In fact, I would go as far to say that this was the finest performance by the mighty
FM I had witnessed in over thirty years.
Keeping it in the family, FM enlisted Romeos Daughter as their support band, for not
the first time in their career. This was my fourth time seeing Romeos Daughter since their
triumphant return seven years ago at Firefest. They were magnificent on that day but, in my
opinion, failed to live up to that on the last couple of occasions; not so this evening as an
inspirational set-list and brilliant performance meant that that this show was first-rate.
Opening with the classic Heaven In The Back Seat immediately had the band with the
crowd in the palm of their hands. The momentum was maintained with Attracted To The
Animal and the band picked my favourite songs from their last two studio albums, 2012s
Rapture and last years Spin with Alive, Trippin Out and Alive, Touch, Radio
and Enemy respectively. The beautiful Leigh Matty must be the most well-spoken lead
singer in rock music and not even the piped keyboards could detract from a magnificent
performance that was brought to a terrific climax with I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night and
Wild Child.
One of the things that I love about FM is that they mix new songs into their set but
never too many or to the determent of their eighties classics. FM opened their seventeen song
set with Digging Up The Dirt from last years Heroes and Villains album. The
approximate five hundred strong crowd sounded more like five thousand on the intro to I
Belong To The Night, a point not missed by the band themselves. The atmosphere was
electric, as it always at an FM gig, with the mostly middle-aged crowd loving every minute of
it (Dont Stop). Closer To Heaven highlighted when it comes to The Voice there is only
one Steve Overland.
The great songs kept coming with All Or Nothing from 1992s Aphrodisiac,
Tough Love from Rockville, the title track from 1989s opus Tough It Out and newer
number Life Is A Highway.
As Pete Jupp (looking remarkably like James Nesbitt) introduced the timeless ballad
Frozen Heart I casted my mind back to the eighties and asked the age old question, Why
did FM not make it to the big time?
The only consolation about the latter is that, as a fan, I would never have got to see
them in so many close up and personal venues such as the Holmfirth Picturedrome.
FM were already running in top gear when guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick started playing
the awesome riff of Wildside that seemed to take the band into overdrive for the remainder
of the evening. I did not think that they would be able to top the latter song but then they
played Someday for the first time since 1989; the crowd went mental and rightfully so as
the mighty FM put their heart and soul into the song specially Steve Overland. The
quintessential FM number That Girl and the phenomenal Bad Luck brought the main set
to an end.
The other thing that I love about FM live is how much the band enjoy themselves on
stage that really resonates with their fans. I am not sure who wins the prize for biggest smile
of the evening between Steve Overland and one of the best dressed men in rock, bass player,
Merv Goldsworthy.

Jem Davis returned to the stage for a brief keyboard solo before being joined by Steve
Overland for, arguably the standout track 2013s Rockville I, the emotive Story Of My
Life; the rest of the band joining in half way through. That left time for one more song, the
fantastic AOR gem from 1986s debut album (Indiscreet) Other Side Of Midnight. The
latter left most of the crowd with hoarse voices following a sensational evenings
entertainment.
Mark Donnelly

The Picturedrome, Holmfirth

Saturday 23 January 2016
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Digging Up The Dirt

I Belong To The Night
Don't Stop
Closer To Heaven
All Or Nothing
Let Love Be The Leader
Life Is A Highway
Frozen Heart
Tough Love
Wildside
Someday
Burning My Heart Down
Tough It Out
That Girl
Bad Luck
Encore:
16 - Story Of My Life
17 - Other Side Of Midnight

Heroes And Villains (2015)

Indiscreet (1986)
Tough It Out (1989)
Aphrodisiac (1992)
Aphrodisiac (1992)
Tough It Out (1989)
Heroes And Villains (2015)
Indiscreet (1986)
Rockville I (2013)
Metropolis (2010)
Tough It Out (1989)
Tough It Out (1989)
Tough It Out (1989)
Indiscreet (1986)
Tough It Out (1989)
Rockville I (2013)
Indiscreet (1986)

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4
6
2

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FM Setlist - Holmfirth Picturedrome 23/01/2016

Heroes And Villains (2015)

Indiscreet (1986)

Tough It Out (1989)

Aphrodisiac (1992)

Rockville I (2013)

Metropolis (2010)

The Picturedrome, Holmfirth

Saturday 23 January 2016
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Heaven in the Back Seat

Attracted to the Animal
Alive
Touch
Radio
Enemy
Trippin' Out
I Cry Myself to Sleep at Night
Wild Child

Romeo's Daughter (1988)

Delectable (1993)
Rapture (2012)
Spin (2015)
Spin (2015)
Spin (2015)
Rapture (2012)
Romeo's Daughter (1988)
Romeo's Daughter (1988)

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1
2
3

Romeo's Daughter - The Picturedrome, Holmfirth - 23/01/2016

Romeo's Daughter (1988)

Delectable (1993)

Rapture (2012)

Spin (2015)