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 Photo: David Burness
A blend of Christian rock enthusiasts and old school metal heads are here to catch the top-selling biblical metallers Stryper. The yellow and black-clad glam rockers made serious secular waves in the ‘80s, while sticking faithfully to their Christian lyrical roots. Clearly, their poppy, spandex rock stylistically fit in most effectively with that same decade, hence them tonight testifying not from an arena stage, but instead from a respectably-attended Hi-Fi.
First up, Devine Electric bring a big, loud set of Zeppelin-flecked rock & roll, complete with writhing shirtless frontman. Decent volume for a support act, too.
Sensibly, Stryper have traded in the skin-hugging spandex for more dignified rock clobber, though with the yellow-and-black colour scheme and crosses still very much on show. Also known for their share of sappy ballads, they fortunately stick to just one example of this genre, the slushy piano number Honestly. The rest is righteous rock & roll, with impressive three-part harmonies from pouting frontman Michael Sweet, guitarist Oz Fox and bassist Tim Gaines. When the choruses kick in, you can see why Sweet is currently providing vocals for soft rock legends Boston – more than Crüe, Poison or Warrant, Stryper blend the metal riffing with the lush harmonies of classic FM rock. The usual Stryper stage act occurs – plentiful throwing of picks, drumsticks and paperback New Testaments into the crowd – but the highlights of the set come from moments like the encore rush of To Hell With The Devil. Whether or not you believe in the message, in 2010 there is still plenty of fun to be had with big-haired riffs and rock opera vocals. Don’t be a cockhead, you know I’m right.
MATT THROWER
CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS FROM STYPER'S SHOW HERE
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