17th March - The Ship

[Darby]

Extracted from WhosReviews.co.uk;

Reviewed by Thom;

"Shotgun Divorce, after being let down by another local band which had promised support, played a lone gig at The Ship in Great Yarmouth on Friday night, but lack of a support band did not mean lack of a supportive audience. With the return of Pep to the guitar roster, the 5 members took confidently to the stage and after a brief introduction belted out their first song, a cover of Black Label Societys 'Demise Of Sanity'. There seemed no hesitation with the crowd as they took stage front and began throwing their heads about like there was no tomorrow. As they ploughed through the set with the presence and confidence that I'm sure will do them well at this years Battle Of The Bands, the audience showed no signs of stopping. I even joined the tamer members of the crowd for a good view of the action. Ever the showman, the vocalist marched around the stage area, and as the finished one of the two originals they have penned so far, he gestured dramatically to the audience and belted out screaming vocals that perfectly complimented the well crafted song. Not only was the music fun to listen to, but had a brilliant 'sing along' quality to it, brought about by a catchy chorus. As they played the System Of A Down anthem 'Chop Suey' I was still worried that the singer wasnt able to reach some of the harder notes. I understand this is no easy feat, but it still needs work. By the end of the set the audience had still not relented, and I remain surprised at the flexibilty of the human neck. Perhaps the convenient break thrown into the middle of the set helped, and a little jam from the musicians provided the singer and his fans a chance to refresh themselves. Nearing the end of the set, the band flew into brilliant renditions of 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' and finally 'Seek And Destroy, and during the latter the front man gave the closest viewers, including myself, a little chance to belt out a the title line. Shouts of 'encore' enticed the band back to the stage to provide us with their second, partly unfinished original, a taster, hopefully, of what they will be treating you all to at Rosies in a few weeks time. Overall a very enjoyable gig that showed experience and charisma from all band members, with only very slight hitches that would not put off less scrutinising fans."