'Totally awesome evening'
- The Sun -

Friday 25th April 2008
BEDWORTH
Civic Hall
Review by: Tony Parrott
Heartland News

A Band founded in the back room of the Nags Head just over a decade ago proved they are a match for anyone with a faultless set played to a capacity crowd at the Civic Hall, Bedworth.

Talon called in for this local gig as part of their nationwide ‘Take It Easy To ‘Eden’ tour where they are celebrating 35 years of Eagles classics and started off with some new material from the American super group’s new ‘Long Road Out Of Eden’ album, which they have recently released after a 28 year break. Talon are just amazing, with Attleborough born Chris Lloyd playing a major role on Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and Keyboards and sounding uncannily like Don Henley with a great range. Along with Chris Lloyd, Peter Anderson, Jonny Miller, Simon Millest and Tony Vegas, the two guest musicians were superb. Nuneaton’s own Craig Wainwright added depth with his contributions on Piano, Keyboards and Percussion, while former Wishbone Ash man Keith Buck showed great dexterity on Pedal Steel, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, plus Mandolin, Keyboards and almost anything else that had strings on it, it seemed.

Talon admit they are a tribute band to a group they clearly revere, but by bringing live Eagles music at reasonable prices, coupled to sell-out tours, it helps you appreciate what great musicians they are themselves, as well as being able to listen to some wonderfully innovative music. It is the sheer variety that is so intoxicating, from Lyin’ Eyes, to the eerily beautiful Desperado and some great rocking numbers too, particularly Heartache Tonight. It really is an amazing output of songs that Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh have notched up.

Talon make it look easy, but that is just their sheer professionalism and if they put their mind to it, I am sure they could play any kind of music they feel like. But the popularity of the Eagles is here to stay and as the band rocked on with Hotel California, One Of These Nights, Take It To The Limit and many other standards the near three hour show just zoomed past. Roll on the next time Talon are in town and catch them if you can.

29th June 2007
Grand Theatre
Swansea
Review by: Tania Caines
For RockPhiles.com

A sunny, Friday evening was a welcome respite to the unseasonable weather of late as the fans soared into Swansea city centre. It's almost time for Talon, bringing their highly successful 10th Anniversary Tour to the Grand Theatre, to take to the stage for the last but one show before Part 1 (of the current four month long tour) comes to a close.

Songs from Steely Dan and Coldplay, just to name a few provide the pre show 'entertainment' as swirls of smoke rise up into the purple spotlights highlighting the Talon sign as the stage backdrop. Sitting perhaps six feet or so from the stage, one of the first things that came to my attention was an impressive eleven guitar line up across the stage.

Then, to a packed out house, the thunder of the drums with Simon Millest taking up the opening beat to The Long Run, I instantly found my foot tapping into the floor, and knew it was going to be a great night! Chris Lloyd, (Don) wearing a dark jacket took lead vocal. Straight into Take It Easy with Peter Anderson (Glenn) singing lead - at which point Swansea already gave its hint we were ready to rock! That reflected on - "You're all wild" Chris exclaimed, as he introduced his next song - a heartfelt Heart Of The Matter which made me choke back tears! Being the band's first visit to Swansea, it was clear that they were honoured to have finally made it here as Tony Vegas (Joe) sang his first number - Pretty Maids All In A Row. Last but certainly not least, Jonny Miller (Tim) up next with I Can't Tell You Why, featured clear pin drop lights around the Talon stage backdrop image. Complimenting the theatre with its pleasant atmosphere, "Isn't this venue brilliant?" said Peter wearing a leather jacket, as the intro to Peaceful Easy Feeling. A change of pace, with Chris singing a rocking One Of These Nights. James Dean, the first of a few surprises that we'd be hearing that evening and a song the band hadn't performed before in the ten years they've been on the road, was quite simply spot on. Another surprise with Tony singing lead on an impressive One Day At A Time, and his distinctive Joe vocals can't be missed! A spotlight for Simon, as he came out from behind the drums to take centre stage on a five piece vocal arrangement with a memorable Seven Bridges Road complete with those soaring harmonies! We learnt this is a crowd favourite, according to the results of a recent poll on their website. New Kid In Town sang by Peter, then Tony taking lead and inviting the crowd for a sing-along with Take It To The Limit which ends the first half nicely.

A short interval quickly came and went, and the instrumental Silent Spring re-welcomed everyone as four high chairs had been placed on stage to begin the second half. The vocal intro 'My Daddy was a handsome devil....' took us by surprise before Tequila Sunrise, sang by Peter, then Jonny looking cool in his do-rag, taking on a Don vocal for Best Of My Love. Yet another rare treat, with Chris playing a harmonica as the intro to Doolin' Dalton, with the vocals shared between Tony and Jonny. Clearly a crowd pleaser! Love Will Keep Us Alive saw only Jonny and guest musician Derek Thurlby left on stage, as Jonny performed a piano solo as part of his own arrangement and Del playing the Pedal Steel parts, or 'knitting machine' as Peter later joked with us! "Let's hear you sing along again" as Peter introduced Lyin' Eyes. Next up, two more 'rarities' starting with an excellent rendition of The Sad Cafe - introduced as the place where the Eagles hung out back in the day - the Troubadour in California explained Jonny, taking lead vocal. The only thing missing from this arrangement was the Saxophone, but replaced with Tony's own guitar solo. The Last Resort reminded me of the Eagles Hell Freezes Over performance, with Chris singing lead under a blue spotlight, and I could have sworn this was the man himself, Messrs Henley, especially on the high notes. Definitely one of the evening's highlights! A pause, for Chris to get his breath back and a change of pace for Life In The Fast Lane, with Tony jumping around and playing the legendary Joe Walsh licks, of which the audience lapped up! A drum solo and hand clapping intro for Witchy Woman with Jonny on lead vocal. Peter led us into Already Gone, and then over to Chris to complete the rest of the set. Cries of Dirty Laundry from a few audience members, as Chris joked they hadn't played that number before, but would give it a try anyway! The crowd loved it, as Chris thanked all the 'Don Henley fans' for the encouraging response. The entire theatre rose from their seats, to rock along to another favourite Heartache Tonight and what appeared to be surprised glances from the band at the enthusiasm! "Goodnight" to close, but of course everyone knew the drill! Desperado as the first of two encores, with Chris managing ten seconds on the final l-o-o-o-o-v-e. Chris told us that Swansea is probably the best crowd they've seen all year, and hopefully it won't take another ten years to return! The final number Hotel California (no horns!) was a perfect way to close a nostalgic evening, but sadly, no double necked Gibson, for an otherwise great performance with nice guitar solo's from Tony and Peter. A traditional Eagles style bow, with a selected part of the Journey Of The Sorcerer instrumental playing as the room lights came back up, and the evening was over all too quickly. Loved it, and so did everyone else who left the theatre with a Peaceful Easy Feeling!

3rd March 2007
Pacific Road Arts Centre
Birkenhead
Review by: Allan Cosgrove
Founder member of ‘Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac’

It’s so easy to see why Talon keep moving from strength to strength… “They’re a great team of musicians.” Behind that illusion of ‘making it look so easy’ is a dedication that must be second to none. It’s about learning every which way on the songs that you love... and then relaxing in with a vibe that delivers. Historically they’ve delivered this vibe consistently and how amazing that they keep building on an already wonderful foundation almost ten years later! It’s so very hard to make it look easy... and to do so… you have to know your stuff! What is apparent is that they have a ‘passion’ for the music they’re playing and they all love performing. When you find such a creative formula on stage… it usually moves live performance to another level. Talon take you to this level repeatedly.

There’s no one ‘Guy’ in Talon. They all play BIG parts unselfishly. The beauty of their show is it’s a 'sharing thing' with one main goal… “To lay down before you the sounds of The Eagles”… They do this with ease and without pretence. A world class show from a great bunch of brilliant players!

As I walked into the dimly lit Theatre the first thing I noticed were no less than fourteen guitars, yes fourteen, all lined up on stage in similar fashion to the way my mother has lined up Dad's golfing trophies on their mantelpiece at home. I knew, there and then it was going to be a great night.

Chris Lloyd, Peter Anderson, Tony Vegas, Simon Millest, Jonny Miller and guest musician Derek Thurlby appeared on stage to the biggest, cheeriest, clappiest welcome I'd ever seen in the sleepy Cornish town of Falmouth. Happily it seemed Talon's reputation had gone before them. They opened with ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling' and immediately I noticed my feet were tapping completely involuntarily. Then came ‘Sad Café’, ‘Hotel California’, ‘Take It To The Limit’, ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ and ‘The Last Resort’ to name but a few, all played and sung to perfection. What I liked most of all was how each of the four front men had their own showcase section. This allowed us to hear their distinctly individual voices separately, yet when they sang together, their harmonies were simply stunning. Personalities also got a chance to shine. Chris, so confident, and rightly so. Peter, the laid back nice guy. Simon the drummer, quietly getting on with the job of keeping rhythm, Tony, whose sense of humour might have made him appear a bit 'out of place' if it wasn't for the huge respect you couldn't help but acknowledge for his incredible singing voice and guitar playing. And finally Jon, well, all that talent AND good-looking too. Cor!

Favourite song of the night - ‘Heart Of The Matter’ beautifully sung by Chris. He said he loved singing it - it showed.

Moment that blew me away – ‘Seven Bridges Road’, Simply unforgettable.

Talon's version of ‘Desperado’ during the encore brought tears to my eyes. Then the evening I didn't want to end finished with the capacity crowd on their feet. What a night! How I wish I had bought tickets to see them the following night.

Supergroups
Talon: The Best Of Eagles /
Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac
Liverpool Empire Theatre
18th September, 2005
In Aid Of The Variety Club Of Great Britain

'Yeah, but these are really good,' must be the most often used phrase concerning tribute bands. Then, when the lights have risen again after a dire night of ineffectual entertainment, the speaker of wisdom turns out to be the band's drummer's Auntie Maud.

Not so with Talon: The Best Of Eagles. They were good. Very good.
Consisting of Jonny Miller, Chris Lloyd, Peter Anderson, Tony Vegas, Simon Millest and guest, Derek Thurlby, here was a band during which an audience could shut their eyes and almost believe that they were in the presence of Don Henley and Co.

Never trying to imitate, Talon performed a tight set of Eagles hits that had the audience dancing in the aisles - Take It Easy, Lying Eyes, Take It To The Limit and a truly beautiful version of Desperado were played with gusto, reverence and professionalism that underlined the moniker of their blurb as to being the best Eagles tribute around. The highlight of the set though had to be the close harmony singing of Seven Bridges Road, the number on which The Eagles started on their World Tour of three years ago, whereas the mega-hit Hotel California was played with a surreal echo of the classic nostalgia trip; its lyrics might still smack of being a clichtéd homage to the music of its time, but its guitar solo finale surely remains amongst the greatest riffs ever written and was played faultlessly.

Acclaimed Eagles’ tribute band Talon hit the Stafford Gatehouse this week on show 28 out of 50 in their current UK tour.

With a whopping 11 guitars, 2 bass guitars, a pedal steel, two keyboards and drums on stage you could be forgiven for expecting more than just the six members in the group. Talon, who have been touring together for seven years, showed incredible versatility with an elaborate musical chairs going on throughout as they all swap and change instruments. Vocals were also shared out with all four singers taking their turn to sing lead with the rest providing pitch perfect harmonies.

The performance was begetting of such a well toured band. Playing an extensive repertoire of Eagles’ hits including Take It Easy, Hotel California, Desperado, Best Of My Love, Witchy Woman and songs from solo careers; Joe Walsh’s Rocky Mountain Way and Don Henley’s Boys Of Summer sounding particularly good.

There were no low points in their set and not even a d-tuned guitar could spoil the five part harmonies in Seven Bridges Road. In between songs time was filled with gentle banter between the band and reading out song dedications from the audience. The personal touch really involved the audience, and they responded with gusto providing a lively atmosphere. By the end of the night everyone was on their feet clapping away to Heartache Tonight.

With excellent performances, plenty of audience involvement and a sense of humour it’s easy to see why Talon have such a dedicated following.

Michelle Evans

'I have seen several Eagles tribute bands, all good in their own way, but the performance by Talon at Taunton's Brewhouse puts them streets ahead of the competition. As complex as the music of the Eagles is, Talon make it look a breeze. The five part harmony on 'Seven Bridges Road' was awesome and they took full advantage of their impressive versatility as musicians trading instruments and vocal as they accurately recreated some of the greatest West Coast ballads to the finest rousing country rock for which the Eagles are renowened, bringing the capacity audience to it's feet.

Their new line up is the best so far, especially Tony Vegas, whose personality and musicianship allows Talon to experiment with new songs, including some from Joe Walsh' solo career. They work well together although each individual vocal performance is outstanding. I was blown away by Jonny Miller's stunning version of 'Love Will Keep Us Alive', and Tony Vegas' full on version of Joe Walsh' 'Lifes Been Good' was excellent.

If they are ever in the right place at the right time with the right record company executive in the audience our chance to see them again at a venue like the Brewhouse may have flown.'
- Somerset County Gazette -