LIVE: THE IRON MAIDENS – Perth, 3 June, 2018

Shane | 6 June 2018 | Reply

LIVE: THE IRON MAIDENS – Perth, 3 June, 2018
With Legs Electric, Badlands Bar, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Karl Infirri

The Iron Maidens were formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001 and it’s great to see a tribute band be able to do international tours, and to be able to pack the Badlands Bar in Perth on a Sunday (during a very busy concert year for our fine city) is a fact The Iron Maidens should be proud of. Let’s get to the show shall we?

The night kicked off with local rock favorites Legs Electric. I’ve been a fan of Legs for many years now. In fact, I always tell anybody within earshot that lead singer Ama Quinsee is one of the main influences as a performer myself. She’s got the grunt, she’s got the chops, she’s got the style – she’s got it all!

This was the first time I had seen Legs since they went from a five piece back to a four piece, and they played a solid set for the Badlands crowd, some of which were familiar with the band, some that weren’t – but by the end of the set the people knew what Legs Electric were all about. As a long time fan of the band I prefer them as a five piece, but lead guitarist Elana Haynes did a superb job and should be commended for her playing abilities as well as her on stage charisma. She’s a star. It was great set and a good way to warm the crowd up for the main attraction.

After a short intermission and a few cold beers, it was time for The Iron Maidens to show us what they were made of.

The mood was set as various band members started taking the stage, and then out came the lead singer, Bruce Chickinson – a fireball of charisma also known as Kirsten Rosenberg. I’d like to tell you what the first song was that they played [Aces High – Editor] but I was standing on the right of the stage near the bar and I couldn’t hear a thing… I wasn’t sure if it was me or if I was just standing in a bad spot, so I moved around the venue before settling right near the back next to the bar and I could finally hear everything perfectly. Despite not being able to hear much of the first song, Kirsten clearly knew how to start a show.

Iron Maiden have some of the most loyal and passionate fans in the world, and the love shown by the crowd to The Iron Maidens was passionate, and deliveredright back. When a crowd shows passion it lifts the game of the performers: bassist Wanda Ortiz for example, you can tell she loves Iron Maiden; she loves what she does for a living, and every single solitary second on stage presented that passion.

2 Minutes to Midnight really lit the crowd up something crazy, as well as the ever popular Number of The Beast – my favourite of the night, what a cracking track. Guitarists Nikki Stringfield and Courtney Cox REALLY wail. They wail so much in fact that after the night was over, police met them outside to arrest them both for stealing the show.

The Iron Maidens deliver a show that is basically like seeing Iron Maiden – even a scaled down Eddie showed up on stage! Kirstens vocals are just raw power. I’m sure the bar staff put away all the glasswear just in case her vocals started shattering it all to pieces. She’s unreal.
I’ve given a shoutout to every member except one – and that is drummer Linda McDonald, who has been with the outfit since day one – and you can tell. She was solid as a rock, unrelenting in her attack on the drumkit.

As the show wound down, Fear Of The Dark was yet another highlight of the evening. I can’t really fault this show other than certain areas of the venue were hard to stand in as the sound bounced around the walls.

All in all The Iron Maidens delivered a tremendous show full of passion and energy, and certainly confirmation as to why they are regarded as the greatest Iron Maiden tribute band in the world.