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By the time The Virgin Marys take to the stage Queen's Mandela Hall is already nearing capacity. The crowd laps up the rock hybrid offering and more than a few heads are bobbing to some excellently composed songs punctuated by offbeat rhythms, unexpected silences and equally unforeseen explosions of noise. Comparisons with Biffy Clyro and even Led Zeppelin have been made of the trio and aren't exaggerations by any stretch.
Classic/hard rock is a difficult genre to find originality in, but The Virgin Marys have managed to do the impossible. Combining classic rock with a more modern Biffy-esque stop-start staccato rhythmic twist gives the trio a unique dynamic enjoyed by very few, if any, other bands.

The irresistible blues shuffle of 'Out Of Mind' and catchy riffs in 'Bang Bang Bang' leave the crowd near stunned and The Virgin Marys leave the stage to rapturous applause. Unlike many bands churning out songs suspiciously similar to those of their influences, these guys have gone one further and brought classic rock into a modern format.

As the lights dim, and a trumpet fanfare blasts out of the speakers, Mandela Hall, as one, screams. Beer flies and fists rise as Slash casually strolls on to take centre stage. Noticeably overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of the crowd's welcome, Slash and lead singer Myles Kennedy applaud the hysterical crowd before diving head first into a selection of songs from Slash's new album and more than a few from his time with Guns n' Roses, Velvet Revolver and Slash's Snakepit.

Despite having enlisted the help of various singers and contributors for the studio album, in a live setting the songs fail to really stand out as overly different from the classics. Myles Kennedy, without mimicking Axel Rose, has a similar vocal range and style which results in many songs sounding too close to old Guns n' Roses material.

Songs from the new album go down well with the crowd, particularly 'Nothing To Say' and 'Back From Cali', but the greatest applause and most emphatic head banging goes to songs like 'Sweet Child of Mine', 'Paradise City', 'Slither' and Thin Lizzy's 'Are You Ready' played for the Irish crowd.

Although relying heavily on old material Slash and his band put in an excellent performance to a crowd the band describes as 'unbelievable' and promise they'll be back next year. It's fair to say they might need a bigger venue next time round.