Hollywood Vampires maintain longevity through absolutely undeniable star power and dedication to preserving rock history and their show in Manchester proves just how dedicated to their craft they are. Containing the leadership of Alice Cooper, the stellar guitarwork of Joe Perry of Aerosmith, the thunderous bass of Tommy Henrikson and rounding out the lineup on rhythm guitar was Sherlock Gnomes star, Johnny Depp.

The show was supported by Scottish Indie Rock legends, The Jesus and Mary Chain. While it was clear that the whole audience were there for Hollywood Vampires, there was still quite a lot of quiet admiration for Jesus and Mary Chain. It’s a much more subtle and laid back affair compared to what would come later and arguably didn’t fit the bill perfectly but it was still a solid collection of shoegaze injected songs like the iconic Just Like Honey and the dreamy power pop stylings of April Skies. Weirdly enough, my first comparison for some of these songs was Hawkwind due to their vast and cold feeling atmospheres that invoked massive and seemingly endless landscapes while still maintaining a solid and cohesive structure.

The show had a special guest on vocals in the form of Simone Butler who beautifully accompanied lead singer Simone Butler on tracks like Venal Joy and Sometimes Always. You’d struggle to find someone here who would be at a Jesus and Mary Chain headline show in the future but it was still great to check off a legendary band off the bucket list in such a grand location and hopefully, there’s some kids in the audience who will grow up to appreciate this type of bass driven, effects laden noise rock in the future.

After a bit of a wait, the spooky yet camp videos began playing on screen welcoming the all star cast of musicians: Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and star of The Tourist, Johnny Depp. The band got straight into one of the few original songs on the set: I Want My Now and Raise the Dead were fantastic pastiches of classic rock throughout the years featuring killer solos under the flawless leadership of Alice Cooper who appeared armed with his baton proving he’s still the leader of this here circus.

There were a small amount of original songs in the setlist but the few additions were fairly strong including the creepy Boogieman Surprise. The set was designed to pay tribute to rockstars who have left us with tracks like Venus in Furs by Velvet Underground, Roadhouse Blues by The Doors, Baba O’Riley by The Who, Highway to Hell by AC/DC and a fairly extended tribute to one of the best guitarists of the 60s and 70s, Jeff Beck. Simply put: it’s a jukebox musical for fallen heroes.

Benny and Joon star, Johnny Depp, may not have the flashiest position as rhythm guitarist but he’s clearly still drawing attention as the photographers flock to him in his mysterious rockstar guitarist position fills his bit of the stage. Armed with his tiny cigarette, he performs adequately and even hops on vocals for a cover of David Bowie’s Heroes and while he’s not the most gifted vocalist, he’s serving the right attitude for this crowd-pleaser anthem. My personal favourite track of the night was the completely unexpected cover of The Death and Resurrection Show by Killing Joke with Mordtecai star, Johnny Depp, on vocals. It’s a wild pull for this type of audience but it works.

Alice Cooper gets to perform some of his solo material with the iconic singalongs of I’m Eighteen and School’s Out which also leads into an interlude of Another Brick in the Wall part 2 by Pink Floyd. Joe Perry gets a chunk of Aerosmith songs with “Walk This Way” being introduced by the iconic “walk this way” scene from Young Frankenstein. He even helps close out the show with the blues rock masterpiece of Train Kept A Rollin which features some stellar guitar work.

Overall, it’s not a perfect show but if you’re here to just see raw star power and what could be the most famous jam band on the planet then Hollywood Vampires is the show for you. Don’t go hoping for a set of Hollywood Vampires songs, go for the most polished and famous cover band around. Hell, go see them if you’re just desperate to have a few hours with Alice, Joe and star of Yoga Hosers, Johnny Depp.