James Toseland at The Black Heart 21/09/26

This is the moment of truth and will set the mood for the evening, is he or is he not a diva? I was standing at the front with the mega fans in Toseland t-shirts and the head banging hobbits, some of which were sharing their insight into the James Toseland world with me before the show started. They'd been following the band on their recent tour around the U.K and travelled to London from Sheffield, Essex and Hampshire and were not used to London alcohol prices. They've met James plenty of times with one fan wearing a t- shirt from his 2013 tour and told me that he was a "really nice and genuine person" and spoke nothing but good things about him, I noticed he was taking pictures with the audience before the opener even came on. The sound mishap was handled professionally and the issue was fixed, they started over with another bang.. Rock and Roll! There were a few more sound hiccups throughout the night which they handled with grace.

There were people in the audience wearing motorcycle t-shirts and zip up tops. One of the fans at the front clarified that he was a world champion motorcycle racer - that's how they knew of him before he became a musician after having an accident. They too were into motorcycle culture but didn't ride anymore. This wasn't a moshpit crowd, it was a headbanging crowd which I was very comfortable with and joined in. Men and women with long hair giving it their all and I spotted the fan standing next to me in a smart suit playing air guitar. The crowd cheer "welcome back James" after he took a brief hiatus from touring and sung life is beautiful excitement from the loud audience. I hear some Bon Jovi influence there but I second guess myself until I see a fan in the crowd wearing a Bon Jovi t-shirt...maybe I'm onto something here, radio rock? They mention that they changed the set from the other shows because their keyboard was difficult to bring onto the smaller stage i.e a pain in the ass. They perform Too Close to Call and Living in the Moment with a guitar solo coming from the flying v which gets alot of cheers

We're forewarned about the Yamaha keyboard as they nervously leave to go get it, yes it was quite big and one member of the audience shouted "get out your ironing board!" as they struggle to get it through the backstage door. The mood of the show changes and the headbanging continues at the front but at a much slower pace. James speaks briefly about his wrist operation and tells us he's happy he is still able to play. They perform Will Not Stop for Nothing a sweet tune James Toseland told us was used for the GB special olympics in 2017 which meant alot to him. They mentioned they were fans of Queen, I could see the influence. They sung Renegade, the song where it all began for them and then put the keyboard away. A band who quite clearly have rockstar energy, I found it quite humbling watching James Toseland carry it on and off the stage himself. I've seen bands live who I will not name with personal assistants at the side stage to tie shoelaces or guitarists walk off mid set because of the rain at a festival with only the audience getting wet, very different worlds and attitudes. They continued with Cradle of Rage and Puppet on a Chain and I was so close to the front that I had a cheeky look at their typed setlist and already new there would be an encore, it read exit song : singer in a band. James ended the night by telling the audience he was sure they all wanted to go home as it was a Monday and needed to work the next day but was grateful of the turn out, they disagreed and said they "didn't want to go home" or "go back to work". He continued to say he's never had a "proper job" and doesn't know "what that feels like".

Rufus Miller deserves a special mention, he was asked to open the show last minute. I hadn't heard of him before but a quick glance at his socials tell me that friends of mine who have trustworthy music taste follow him so I make an effort to be sure I arrive in time to see him and I was not dissapointed. His performance was incredibly animated and emotional with a voice that echoed through the room that will give you chills. He told us he was a "band slut" and plays alot so I'm looking forward to seeing him perform again somewhere down the line.

I've been going to the Black Heart for over a decade. It's familiar and I always know what to expect and have yet to have a bad experience there. It's down a side alley close to the Underworld just a few minutes from Camden Town train station. I've gone there mostly for drinks with friends, the dj nights until the early hours of the morning or to see crusty d.i.y metal and punk bands on the top floor. It's a dive bar with a vast selection of craft beers downstairs, dim ambient 'vampire cave' like lighting with candles on the tables and metal music playing in the background OH and a Metallica pin ball machine. Upstairs is the music venue where you have to walk up a few wooden stairs to the entrance which has a smaller bar and merch table. It fits nicely with Camden's collection of metal bars such as The Dev and Raven Records, an interesting newish spot who are very active within the metal community and endorse sobriority with metal AA meet ups and a completely non alcoholic bar and basement hosting meet and greets.

I was conflicted whether to stick around at The Black Heart to have another drink for the road, tempted by the pin ball machine but it was a Monday night after all. I walked through Camden on my way home which I have done plenty of times and am always surprised by how quiet and tame the high street is when it's not a Friday or a weekend, a time when you can barely move through the large array of tourists coming to visit the spectacle. When I was a child the sculptures potruding from above the shops absolutely fascinated me and as an adult I never hesitate to look up and stare at them fondly, the giant boot will always be my favourite.

I had a great time and feel the band is deserving to eventually upgrade to a larger stage to fit their keyboard and I look forward to seeing where they go on their journey.