REVIEW

  The Paget Rooms was rockin from start to late finish as the Rollin'Stoned made a very welcome first time visit to Penarth. The band came on stage later than billed at 8.45pm, firstly Bill, Charlie and Mick Waylor, followed by the incredibly life-like Keith Wretched complete with prop bottle of JD. The main man, Mick Jaguar, made an equally impressive entrance onto stage with puckered lips and swaggering hips. No time to waste here with niceties "Ello Penarff…. how you doin tonight".

"Start me up" ( 1981) was the opening number and the full capacity crowd applauded enthusiastically as the band launched into what now must be the stones signature tune.
     From here on the audience was transported back to the heady nostalgic days of the sixties and seventies. Prancing, gurning and jumping through a set of classic Stones numbers, the group filled the dancefloor . Mick Jaguar fell into those classic Jagger poses, keeping totally in character with references to bursting a button on his trousers "Oh dear I think I’ve busted a button on my trousers, you dont want my trousers to fall down now do you.” The crowd was loud and raucous as Mick interacted and played up to the taunts.

 Whilst everyone was getting acquainted with the band and its unique style of portraying the greatest Rock & Roll band in the world, they pulled off a blinder by introducing the original founder member of the Stones, Byron Jones, who appeared on stage resplendent in angel wings,complete with  bottle of champagne, dark wrap round shades, perfect blonde hairdo and deckchair striped sixties style loons.He aplogised for his late arrival, explaining that he had been sidetracked into playing a game of Monopoly in Heaven with James Brown and Bob Marley.

The band then set off on She’s a Rainbow, which was followed by Not Fade Away, Paint It Black and Ruby Tuesday (which proved a real crowd pleaser),each song featuring Jones in a different role (percussion, harmonica, Indian guitar, recorder), all of which he handled with considerable aplomb while flashing that famously stoned Cheshire cat grin. All thefavourite RS tunes could be heard during the next two and a half hour non stop mind blowing concert. The group’s ability to recreate the magic of the Stones’ classics was demonstrated time and again on numbers including Sympathy for the Devil, Get off of My Cloud, It’s only Rock ’n’ Roll and a grand finale of Brown Sugar.

     
One of the standout tracks had to be "Out of time", with Brian and Nicky providing backing vocals. And stand-out moments, when, women from the audience got the chance to dance onstage with the band for a chaotic "Honky Tonk Women" (emulating the stadium tours). Ever professional, the band failed to miss a note as the ladies cavorted around them, turning the whole gig into a massive party.

The audience included many people who must have been around in the early days of The Stones, as well as some who were certainly not born then. We were treated to a musical tour through Stones history. Of course we knew these were mere actors playing a part - but they were also talented musicians who re-created the hits with amazing accuracy.  Straddling the fine line between parody and immitation expertly, the boys in the band provide the full Stones experience.

These guys are nearest you'll get to Sir Mick and Co, from Keef's gunslinging guitar posing, Mick Jaguar's camp handclapping and Bill Wymandy's total lack of presence and charisma (just like the real thing then..) The band are as described in the Times as "the nearest thing to the real article", and by Keith Richards daughter as "eerily like watching my dad". There can be no more glowing praise and this band effortesly pull it off. It was a fantastict night. The Stoned were all well versed in their role - to keep alive the tradition of great live music. It's a valuable service too - probably the only chance many music fans will get to hear songs on which the foundations of rock are based played in their natural environment. It would be a dream to be able to see the Stones on a regular basis but their sellout tours seem to get fewer and farther apart.

While "you can't always get what you want”…..you just might find, you get what you need!"

Here's to the next Stoned experience!