Apparently Tailgunner’s aim is to put British heavy metal back on the map, so based on tonight’s performance did they? Well let’s find out.
I stumbled across them a couple of months back on Instagram and then also heard them quite a few times on Planet Rock and thought these are worth investigating further. I now have both their LPs so something must have worked and I have been looking forward to this! Luckily I saw they were playing in London supporting Fozzy (who I knew nothing about) and supporting the launch of their latest LP ‘Midnight Blitz’ so I got a couple of tickets.
Just a bit of back history to set the scene – founded in 2018 by bass player Tom Hewson, but officially launched on 1 Jan 2022. First EP released in 2022 and first LP ‘Guns for Hire’ in July 2023 and second LP ‘Midnight Blitz’ in Feb 2026.
Tailgunner are the latest incarnation of metal bands taking us back to the heady days ofthe early ’80s and the NWOBHM. This is a band who know how to instil the same level of excitement and fervour as their predecessors did. They have the prerequisite looks of skin tight cloths, long hair (some permed) and clearly wear their colours on their leathers, spandex and studs 😊 – there is no mistaking their R’n’R genre the look matches the sound.
The band comprises of:
- Craig Cairns – Vocals
- Rhea Thompson – Lead Guitar
- Zach Salvini – Lead Guitar
- Tom Hewson – Bass Guitar
- Eddie Mariotti – Drums
They opened with the barnstorming ‘Midnight Blitz’, and continued for the next 40 odd minutes with what they obviously think are the best tracks from their two LPs. It was old school heavy metal in the Judas Priest vein. I liked the tubular glowing mike stand with large base (always good for a frontman to have a foil to use). When Craig lifted it into the air we all knew why the base was so large – it was the Tailgunner logo – top stuff! Craig’s strong voice fitted perfectly with the music and does credit to the songs.
The stage is alas too small for them to do it justice, often pussyfooting around each other as they moved around the stage. Tom has definitely been schooled in the best Steve Harris bass guitar moves and poses. They were clearly in the mood to try and steal the show from the off and are a tight knit unit, energetic and flamboyant to a man/woman. Singer Craig Cairns is an upcoming front man still learning his trade, yet to find his own niche but he’s adapting/mixing and taking the best from his musical influences and hitting every pose known to man. The duel guitar attack of Rhea and Zach take turns in riffs and solos all delivered at a frenzied pace and Eddie is a total beast on the drums – pounding the very life out of them to great aplomb.
Set List (click on the links to see the YouTube videos)
- Midnight Blitz – (Midnight Blitz, 2026)
- White Death – (Guns For Hire, 2023)
- Shadows Of War – (Guns For Hire, 2023)
- Tears In Rain – (Midnight Blitz, 2026)
- Barren Lands & Seas Of Red – (Midnight Blitz, 2026)
- Eulogy – (Midnight Blitz, 2026)
- Guns For Hire – (Guns For Hire, 2023)
My personal favourites were ‘Midnight Blitz‘, ‘White Death’ and ‘Barren Lands and Seas of Red’ – that said there wasn’t a duff track all night. The last two songs merged into on long 15 minute track and audience singalong. It would be better if they picked a song where the singalong included a hook from the chorus – words rather than just trying to copy Craig’s ‘yeah yeah yeah‘ or ‘woo oh oh oh oh ho’ screaming noises. ‘Guns for Hire’ started with Craig pouring a can of Birra Moretti down Toms throat before a colossal twin guitar and drum audio assault hit the audience.
From start to finish, Tailgunner oozed confidence, charm and boundless energy. The performance was polished throughout and won’t to their burgeoning reputation any harm at all. The crowd was certainly with them all the way. Thanks for a top evening chaps! The future of British heavy metal is firmly in this band’s hands. Let’s hope they grow and become incredibly well known, rather than self-destruct. This 5-piece can only get better, as the saying goes the more I practice the better I get. Keep gigging, keep adapting and most of all keep on enjoying yourselves.
Marko [ 24 Feb 2026]
PS – You finished with Sham 69’s ‘Hurry Up Harry’ with the immortal line of ‘We’re going down the pub’, now you need something equally iconic to come onto stage with – one that sticks with you throughout and identifies you!
Marisa And The Moths
The first band on the bill were Marisa And The Moths, who I’d put more in the alt-rock/grunge genre with a striking and talented singer Marisa Rodriguez. The songs are pretty strong and at times Marisa was overwhelmed with grief that she shared with the audience about the recent passing of a dear friend of the bands.
The lyrics where hard to distinguish but the band musicianship was pretty good and Marisa has good lungs on her. They got 30-minutes to showcase their songs and piled through 6 tracks, including an emotional new one ‘Nothing Gets Better’.
Set list (click on the links to see the YouTube videos)
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