Hollywood Vampires Bring Their Whiskey-Drenched Rock to Manchester’s AO Arena [Photos]

Formed as a tribute to their “dead, drunk friends,” you can easily imagine the Hollywood Vampires being the house band at the 1970s bar from which they derive their name. However, their line-up features Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp, so this bunch of Hollywood celebrities and rock royalty are performing in front of tens of thousands of people every night instead.

Not that this matters to the Hollywood Vampires who perform a nicotine-stained, whiskey-drenched cocktail of original material and covers from some of the rock greats. Original material like the trashy “Raise The Dead” and the sleazy “My Dead Drunk Friends” sound like they were conceived in Cooper’s smoky bar, while their renditions of Cooper’s own trash rock anthems like “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out” sound even dirtier in the hands of Depp and Perry.

As for covers, the band adds their own gritty twist to rock classics like “The Jack” and “Walk This Way” amongst others by The Jim Carroll Band, Killing Joke and Johnny Thunders. The highlight for many though was seeing Depp and the band pay an emotional tribute to fallen friend Jeff Beck although seeing Depp take over vocals for a rousing rendition of David Bowie‘s classic “Heroes” came a close second.

Fronted by three of the biggest names of rock ‘n’ roll and Hollywood screen, it’s inevitable that the demand to see Hollywood Vampires is so great. Thankfully, while they may be playing huge, soulless arenas, in the hands of these three friends and their bandmates, real rock ‘n’ roll has never sounded so authentic, emotional and full of life. Find more info on the band’s official website.

Hollywood Vampires @ AO Arena (Manchester, UK) on July 8th, 2023

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