Queen drummer Roger Taylor is such an icon thanks to his work with the legendary band that it is easy to forget he is also an accomplished solo artist, having released seven studio albums. The most recent, the politically charged Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, only hit shelves on September 18 and, rather impressively, reached number six in the UK album charts.
In support of it, the 77-year-old elder statesman of rock took to the road for a series of solo shows in venues a million miles from the arenas Queen still play. Seeing someone of Taylor’s stature in a more intimate setting is always a treat. However, he decided his presence alone wasn’t enough for this penultimate gig of the tour in London’s famous Roundhouse, and enlisted some friends to help out, in the form of the Ndlovu Youth Choir, who also feature on his album. He also gave a little guitarist called Brian May a moment to shine, much to the delight of fans.
As wonderful as those appearances were, they would be pointless if Taylor couldn’t hold his own on stage. Thankfully, he is also an accomplished performer when he steps out from behind the drum kit.
The setlist reflected his five-decade-plus career, mixing solo material, including tracks from the new album, with some Queen classics. He opened with Strange Frontier, the title track from his second solo album, released in 1984. A fan favourite, it drew appreciative cheers from the audience.
Taylor has always been a thoughtful songwriter. While tracks such as I’m in Love With My Car and Radio Ga Ga show his sense of fun, he has never shied away from heavier subjects. We got Surrender, which tackles domestic violence, and Chump, which may or may not be about Donald Trump.
He certainly made his feelings about the US President clear when he roared “F*** Donald Trump” before launching into it, and the cheers from the crowd suggested they were more than happy to agree.
It is fair to say most people know Taylor through Queen, and the presence of Brian May sitting in a VIP box created huge excitement as rumours swirled that he would take to the stage. Those rumours proved correct, but not before South Africa’s Ndlovu Youth Choir delivered a stunning rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and joined Taylor for a couple of tracks.
They were still on stage when May ambled out, holding his famous Red Special, looking as casual as if he were meeting his mate for a drink rather than reuniting Queen for a couple of songs. As he and Taylor launched into the foot-stomping, hand-clapping anthem We Will Rock You, the stage was barely visible through a sea of phones as fans desperately tried to capture the moment.
May remained for Queen’s 1984 Top 3 hit Radio Ga Ga before the pair took their bows and the emotional crowd attempted to compose themselves after seeing their heroes reunited.
While that was undoubtedly the highlight, even before May’s appearance this was an incredibly tight and well-paced rock’n’roll show, with the audience singing along from the off. May’s appearance perhaps pushed it towards an extra half-star, but overall this was a rousing performance from a performer who has nothing left to prove and can simply relax and enjoy it.
