The Last Weekend | Live - Ruskin Arms, London

It’s a cold night in the east end of London, but the masses have braved the elements to pay tribute to the most famous bar in metal folklore- the Ruskin Arms. Site of the now legendary early Iron Maiden gigs, the Ruskin Arms was the home of heavy metal in the late 70s / early 80s. Sadly, due to lack of business and the urge to progress the area, it has been announced that the bar will be demolished to make way for a doctor’s surgery and some flats. One can perhaps extrapolate that in a metal fashion to Carcass’s love of medical terminology lyrics, and Brian Johnson’s favoured style of caps, but it’s still a shame to hear the news.

On the plus side of things, organisers CliveAid have decided to see the bar off in their customary over the top fashion by putting on two nights of top class metal, featuring some of the stalwarts of the NWOBHM scene, including a very rare live performance by the reformed Hammerhead.

The Ruskin Arms isn’t what one would expect from a bar with a pedigree such as it has. Expectations were high when this reviewer first walked through the doors, and granted, there’s a full size skeleton on a motorbike crashing through a fence above the bar which is Very Metal, but there is a distinct lack of metal heritage adorning the walls. It’s just your average pub. No ancient flyers, no old posters, no signed photographs. The regulars are out in force to support the place in its final hours, and it’s clear enough to understand the bar’s current financial woes as all 7 of them sit in the corner with their beers.

The rest of the clientele are full-on card-carrying metalheads, and each one has his or her best and most classic outfit on. Maiden t-shirts are the garb of choice, and tour shirts are the most prevalent. One guy with a faded Killers ‘81 tour shirt with a sewn on logo wins the prize for rarest shirt, while the guy who made his own two-tone leather trousers with stitched logo wins the prize for most original.

As most of the east end tube lines are closed for maintenance tonight, getting there is difficult, and as such openers Tequila Rocking Bird and Tokyo Blade are missed. Thankfully, Elixir are up next, and they proceed to simply destroy the crowd with their brand of classic metal music, rousing lyrics, and insightful vocal harmonies. ‘Pandora’s Box’ and ‘Children Of Tomorrow’ are predictably brilliant, but it’s set closer ‘Treachery (Ride Like The Wind)’ that gets the crowd going their most mental, fists in the air and a complete singalong until the end. Top quality performance, and it sets the bar for the night.

Marshall Law are up next, riding the popularity wave of their new album “Razorhead”, and take the stage looking like the rock stars they perceive themselves to be. Unfortunately, they just can’t back this persona up enough with their music to make it work, especially after such a strong performance by Elixir, and it’s a steady crowd that filters back into the front bar throughout their set.

Day two of The Last Weekend is again marred by tube trouble, and early bands Metalloid, Brabazon and Isolysis are missed, as is the personal appearance of ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, who came along to meet the fans, and say goodbye to the pub he played in several times himself.

Gothic metallers Hanging Doll are playing upon entry, and turn out to be surprisingly good. It’s standard female-fronted flowing frocks Gothic metal, in the vein of Epica and Within Temptation, and they look great on stage. On to watch Nuclear Blast’s roster for in the future. Following this are local favourites Nemhain, who certainly look the part, and draw a huge crowd, mainly due to the two girls in the band wearing tight, revealing clothing. Having Adrian Erlandsson (ex-Cradle Of Filth) adds to the bands pedigree a bit, but looking past the tightness, pertness and bustiness reveals a set of middle-of-the-road bluesy punk rock, with a diabolical cover of the Misfits ‘Die, Die My Darling’ that completely misses the point.

Hammerhead are up next, and slow things down to a mid-paced meander, which goes nowhere at all, with added guitar widdling, for 40 minutes. Quite a disappointment, especially seeing as Jaguar pulled out of the gig at the last minute, Hammerhead really should have been better than this.

Thankfully Krusher is on hand with pint and trademark ludicrous beard after the set to regale the crowd with what eventually amounts to a spoken word historical comedy set. Touching at times, and hilarious throughout, he gives the history of the Ruskin Arms, with plenty of great stories and fables for the crowd to lap up while Cloven Hoof set up onstage.

And when they take the stage, it’s to a veritable roar of adulation. Easily one of the all-time great live bands, the Hoof are simply untouchable in this setting. Vocalist Russ North hits every high note with ease, and it’s to a flurry of hair and fists that new guitarist Christian Horton is presented. The setlist is a painfully short one, 45 minutes, but is packed with classics, ‘Nova Battlestar’, ‘Reach For The Sky’ and ‘Road Of Eagles’ being among them, but it’s set closer ‘Laying Down The Law’ that becomes the absolute highlight of the weekend. Cloven Hoof look as if they are born to be onstage, and put on exactly the type of metal show that the Ruskin Arms deserves in its final hours.

Afterwards, an original painting of Iron Maiden’s Eddie clambering over the ruins of the Ruskin Arms with a pint in hand, which was used for the Maiden FC t-shirts, is auctioned off for nearly £400, the proceeds going towards CliveAid. Hi-On Maiden are the headliners tonight, and although the much-rumoured Iron Maiden guest appearance doesn’t happen, close your eyes and it’s easy to imagine that Paul Di’Anno is up on stage with them. The band’s vocalist is astounding, and the musicianship is top notch. But it’s the setlist that really wins the crowd over, as when was the last time Iron Maiden played stuff like ‘Killer’ or ‘Innocent Exile’? He wisely restricts his vocals to the more gruff style of Di’Anno, keeping the Dickinson screams to a minimum, and gives a fitting tribute to the early days of metal.

After the gig, there’s plenty more drinking and socialising, but surprisingly little lamentation for the demise of the Ruskin Arms. The send off did its job well then, and people leave with a happy grin rather than a sombre frown.

Dónal McBrien ::: 25/11/08