By Sheldon Barwick

When I was a lad the music of Meat Loaf had a certain allure: fast bikes, fast women – you get the idea.

Unfortunately I never got to see him live. 

On Monday night I experienced the next best thing in Steve Steinman.  Not only does Steve sound like Meat Loaf, he is also a dead ringer in the looks department. 

We were treated to most of Mr Loaf’s greatest hits, from Heaven Can Wait to the eponymous Bat out of Hell – mind you, we only got this at the third encore.  

I expected only to see Meat Loaf numbers being covered, but Steve’s co-star also covered the likes of Bonnie Tyler and Cher. 

And as for the band, all I can say is Wow!  Two great guitarists (nice to see a lady guitarist), a brilliant drummer from Texas who seemed to have more cymbals than drums, and an amazing keyboard player who was featured throughout the performance.  

The show was also injected with a great deal of humour, and although the music was taken seriously, Steve and the band did have a laugh at their own expense on occasions. 

It was obvious from the performances that everyone on stage loved the music they were performing. 

As usual, the Oxford crowd was a little reserved, but by the end everyone was on their feet.

All in all a really great show with lots of energy – a must-see for any Meat Loaf fan.