Review: Armoured Saint. London – The Dome. 17th August 2024
It’s a strange thing about Armoured Saint. Formed around the same time as many of their peers – Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax etc – and probably having the best singer of the bunch in John Bush, weirdly not many people have heard of them!
Almost as out there is that they have pretty much kept the same line-up from day one, with the obvious exception of guitarist Dave Prichard who tragically passed away in 1990.
But here they are, 42 years later still on the road and entertaining The Dome in Tufnel Park on a hot Saturday night.
The venue isn’t sold out, and maybe this would have been better suited down the road at The Underworld, but the enthusiasm of the crowd and the band more than makes up for that!
Opening with End of the Attention Span from their latest album Punching the Sky, they played a career spanning set covering the hits like March of the Saint and Can U Deliver to deeper cuts like Over the Edge. It was a non-stop, full on 90 minute set, the highlight probably being the epic Aftermath with John Bush singing a bit at the back of the room too!
Special mention also for charging a reasonable amount for merch. The latest tour shirt was $25 PayPal or £20 cash, and I picked up a vintage Delirious Nomad shirt for $15 PayPal! In a time when £35 is the standard for any gig shirt, this was a very cool surprise.
Review by Thom from press access kindly supplied by Palmer Turner Overdrive.
