The Hollywood Vampires, Manchester Arena. 18th June 2018

Hollywood Vampires tonight (on crutches) the supergroup with Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and... er, Johnny Depp. It’s a bit sideshow, but what would you expect of any band fronted by Alice. Don’t be fooled though, these lads aren’t muckin around. A covers heavy set shows just how amazing Alice’s voice really is and the whole band effortlessly destroy (in the good sense) the classics from Break On Through, The Jack, Ace of Spades, I could go on. Perrys battered guitar looks even worse for wear than him, but boy can he play. The one question, can Depp play? I’ve honestly no idea, he’s buried so deep by Perry it’s tough to tell. I suspect he can just about do what’s needed, but he does that well and he certainly looks the part. A turn for the surreal sees Depp singing Bowie’s Heroes, I know I know, this shouldn’t be allowed but seriously he’s good, really good. Highlights though are Alice’s own 18, Schools Out and a truly mesmerising thrill ride though Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion, which is worth the admission alone. For a bunch of vampires, they don’t suck!