Live Review: The Iron Maidens, Gypsy

Sydneysiders Gypsy kicked off proceedings with a brand of metal that would appeal to anyone in the audience whose battle jacket was littered with Iron Maiden and Judas Priest patches. The youthful trio bristled with a likeable enthusiasm; throwing shapes, covering Kiss' I Stole Your Love and even tossing balloons into the audience. Perhaps a second guitarist would beef up their live sound, but the promise is there.

Guitarist Courtney "Adriana Smith" Cox told this scribe prior to the tour, "We just want to keep it a Maiden show, but on a small budget". They may have had less money to lavish on production values and play in far smaller venues than their heavy metal heroes, but The Iron Maidens' show certainly isn't short on spirit or reverence for the material being performed. Incorporating elements such as intro tracks injected an air of familiarity. Meanwhile, theatrics a la introducing Edwina - their female version of Iron Maiden's band mascot Eddie - put a unique spin on decades-old presentation, as did the brandishing of both the Union Jack and Australian flags during The Trooper.

Staying faithful to the originals while adding individual nuances where appropriate is a crucial component for any tribute act and these five accomplished musicians manage that tricky balance. Wanda "Steph Harris" Ortiz in particular has her namesake's distinctive style of bass playing down pat. Opening with the one-two punch of Aces High and 2 Minutes To Midnight signalled that they would be playing the hits to uproarious, venue-wide singalongs. A crowd-pleasing move, but it was airings of likes of 22 Acacia Avenue and Alexander The Great, which you'll never catch in a Maiden setlist these days, that had diehard fans wiping tears from their eyes. A couple of Paul Di'Anno-era tracks made the cut; no such luck for fellow ex-vocalist, poor old perennial fan scapegoat Blaze Bayley.

As Iron Maiden themselves embark on another tour thousands of kilometres away (sans Australian leg, unfortunately), fans of the British legends at least had the opportunity to hear a clutch of metal classics and a few rarities performed in the live environment once more. Further proof that trends may come and go, but great songs endure.