Status Quo's bassist on top of his game as Rhino's Revenge play a rip-roaring show at Chesterfield's Real Time Live

Gigs from this band are rare due to main man John ‘Rhino’; Edwards’ commitments with Status Quo.

Due to the day job Rhino has only released two solo albums in the last 18 years (Rhino’s Revenge in 2000 and Rhino’s Revenge 2 in 2015). With Quo having fewer shows this year and no winter UK tour Rhino was able to hit the road in April/May and again this month for a short UK tour.

Rhino’s Revenge are John ‘Rhino’ Edwards (bass/lead vocals) and member of Status Quo since 1986, Richard Newman (drums/vocals), a musician who has played with Rory Gallagher, Steve Marriott and Paul Rodgers amongst many others. Jim Kirkpatrick (guitar/vocals) from FM completes the line up.

The band was on great form and clearly enjoyed themselves on stage. Rhino engaged in a lot of onstage banter with his band mates and the fans, he even gave a brief but passionate speech thanking people for coming to see him and about small music venues closing, appealing to the fans to show their support by attending gigs at these establishments.

Right from the start Edwards had the crowd on his side. The two-hour show was a mix of songs from Rhino’s two solo albums, Status Quo tracks that he has co-written with Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt as well as some well-chosen covers.

Highlights included One Note Blues, Secretary, Jungle Love and Mine All Mine.

Rhino is a very witty lyricist, the splendid My Name Is Stan and Busy Doing Nothing, are cases in point and both songs went down really well with the audience. Quo’s Bellavista Woman, Jam Side Down and Two Way Traffic.

As for the covers,set opener Once Bitten Twice Shy, along with Before You Accuse Me and closing number I Saw Her Standing There (the latter two sung by Kirkpatrick) were particularly good.

There was a real party atmosphere; it was a great night and one of the best gigs that I have witnessed in this venue.

Hats off to Niki Stephenson and her team, getting Rhino’s Revenge was a bit of a coup! Real Time Live is a super venue and deserves to be supported.