Concert Review: Anvil, Studio Seven, Seattle, WA 2/12/10

When Anvil drummer Robb Reiner mounted the stage, the crowd at Seattle’s Studio Seven club erupted. One fan yelled, “You made it!” The band surveyed the nearly sold-out audience and beamed back 1,000-watt smiles. Just one year ago, this gig would have been unthinkable. But here they are, on top of the world, 30 years after their debut.

The catalyst for all of this has been the excellent documentary, Anvil: The Story Of Anvil. You just can’t help but root for these guys after seeing it. Because even though their time has clearly passed, they still believe. It really is the ultimate underdog story.

Heartwarming or not, though, we also showed up for some good old-fashioned metal, and Anvil delivered. They opened up with a fairly intricate instrumental, which showcased Steve “Lips” Kudlow’s Flying V guitar skills in no uncertain terms. This bled into “666,” the first of four songs from their second LP, Metal On Metal (1982).

Bassist Glen Five got his chance to shine fairly early on, during “Winged Assassin.” Lips introduced him as “The new guy,” having only been with the band for 14 years.

Midway through the set, they pulled out the big guns for “Mothra.” Their performance of this enduring classic has to be seen to be believed. Lips goes absolutely batshit on guitar, even utilizing a big shiny metal dildo at one point for the ultimate slide effect.

True to their old-school heritage, Anvil included a drum solo. Not one of those wimpy 30-second ones either—this was a total Rush-style extravaganza, and was not to be missed. It also served to highlight one thing about Anvil that seems to get lost in their story: These three musicians are really good, tight as hell, and can seriously play.

Lips could have a second career as a stand-up comedian, introducing each song with an hilarious story to which I found myself laughing out loud every time. Whether it was about Geezer Butler calling him a “fucking colonial Canadian,” or his dog’s “pink crayon,” the guy cracked me up.

The set ended with “the national anthem of metal,” as Lips called it, “Metal On Metal.” They encored with “Jackhammer,” but the night was not over yet. Lips announced that they would be back in 10 minutes to sign autographs and take pictures with anyone who wanted to stick around. Quite a few fans took him up on it, including yours truly. Anvil are as genuine as they come in the rock and roll world, and it was a privilege to see them.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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