Many of rock’s iconic acts have graced the stage at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, and the roll of honour was joined on 22 September 2026 by the legendary drummer and singer Roger Taylor. His latest album, “Violence Insane In A Beautiful World”, is a perfect showcase for his writing and singing, with an underlying commentary on the world today resonating with the crowd.
The evening started with support from singer-songwriter Freddie Lennox, whose unique folk-Americana sound was a huge hit with the crowd. The 26-year-old Englishman was performing songs from his self-titled debut album and quickly built up a rapport with the audience, having them join him in singing along to the choruses of “Baby Watcha Cookin’” and “I’m Your Man”.
His lyrics are like poetry, summoning visions of the stories he wove with ease, and it’s clear that his time in Nashville has had a strong influence on his writing. Freddie is definitely a name to watch.
As the sounds of Sigur Rós’ “Hoppípolla” played on the darkened stage, the man himself strode out to a roar from the auditorium. Roger has a truly commanding presence; from the moment he grabbed the microphone, it was hard to take your eyes off of him. The dedication of his fan base is also incredible – some had travelled from Argentina, Japan and the US, eager to see him perform.
He started the show with “Strange Frontier” from his second solo album, and the pace was set for an impressive 95-minute set.
Vocally, he was still powerful as he leapt straight into the next few songs, and the starting riffs of “I’m In Love With My Car” almost blew the hall’s domed roof off. The musicians that he has surrounded himself with are impeccable – can you imagine the pressure of being Roger Taylor’s drummer?
That mission was taken on and smashed out of the park by Tennessee’s own Tyler Warren, along with guitarist Christian Mendoza flawlessly taking on both Roger’s solo work and Queen’s hits. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Tina Keys accompanied Roger on backing vocals with bassist Neil Fairclough and keyboardist Spike Edney, and as a unit they are a band that are clearly loving performing together.
There was a real sense of freedom and joy in their performance, from the dark tones of “Violence Insane” from the new album to an emotional “These Are The Days of Our Lives”.
Tyler briefly took over singing duties for a breathless cover of “Rock It (Prime Jive)” as Roger left the stage, but he was soon back with a haunting version of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”.
Roger still has a strong social conscience and it really comes through on his newer material, unafraid to call out both Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump in two scathing short songs that proved to be popular, but he also acknowledges the incredible depth of material from his Queen days.
It was an emotional experience listening to “Under Pressure” and “A Kind of Magic” being performed by the man who was the heartbeat of the band, and encore “Come On Summer (It’s Party Time)” saw him take to the drums that had been awaiting his arrival all night.
To see him play was something I had never thought I’d be lucky enough to witness, and it was a humbling moment – by this point a large portion of the crowd had left their seats and congregated at the front of the stage.
Ending the evening on a high, the final song “Radio Ga Ga” had a sea of arms raised, clapping to the chorus. As the band left the stage, Roger took a moment to bow to us to show his gratitude – however, it was us who were honoured and grateful to a musical legend who gave his all on an incredible evening.
