Kev Rowland
I do not have the energy to describe in detail what has happened to L.A. Guns over the years, but there is now only one band legally allowed to use the name without having another name attached to it, and that is the one which features Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis (who I will always think of as the singer from Girl, as I loved their debut album). In November 2020, during the recording of a new album, L.A. Guns wanted to get together and do one of the things they love most, which is play a show. The band announced a special gig at the Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas, NV that would celebrate the 31st anniversary of their beloved album, ‘Cocked and Loaded’, which they then played virtually in its entirety while also adding in “Speed” from their more recent album ‘The Missing Peace’.
Everyone knows Tracii merged his band with Hollywood Rose to create Guns ‘n’ Roses before leaving to form a new version of his own band, and there is no doubt that their second album, 1989’s ‘Cocked and Loaded’ is seen by many as their highlight with the single “The Ballad of Jayne” being one of the highlights. When it comes to sleazy glam then L.A. Guns have been at the forefront since their re-emergence in 1985, and while there have been different versions over the years, for me the true band is whichever one features Tracii and Phil Lewis (strange to think that at one time they were each fronting their own version of the band). There is something about the two of them together which creates tension and a great end result. Lewis has never been the best singer in the world, yet he is the consummate frontman, always knowing what the audience expect and giving it to them. For this show they were joined by Scot Coogan (drums, backing vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm vocals, backing vocals) and Johnny Martin (bass, backing vocals) and together the quintet makes the place jump like it was 1989.