Rival Sons Live Review

After Seeing Rival Sons support Lenny Kravitz at his show on the 6th of December I knew I had made a fantastic decision to book tickets a couple of months before to see them on their solo tour. On the 9th of December I went to their show in Wolverhampton at the Wulfrun Hall.

The show was a sell out and was packed front to back which was an incredible achievement for the band. However it did leave little dancing room for myself but I can overlook that little glitch as the show was phenomenal!

Starting the evening off, the main support band the Blues Pills performed a short set. The Blues Pills are a female fronted Blues Rock band from Sweden. Their Set list was pure Blues Rock with a slight heavy edge which just made it better. I personally love a female vocalist fronting a rock band, but of course it has to be done correctly. Like the big female singers of the past and present: Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Alannah Myles, SKIN and Taylor Momsen. Just to name a few. As she performed the set she had a little grit behind her vocals which was brilliant! I will look into the band at a later date as they were very entertaining and talented, they are a band I would recommend.

We have reached the headlining act of the post! Rival Sons! Before the show started I had been looking through some of the past set lists they had performed and I had noticed the band had not been playing one of my favourties All Over The Road from their first album, and I was a little gutted. However I did send a tweet saying I hoped they would play that song and to my utter surprise the opening song of their set was 'All Over The Road'! Lets just say the smile that spread across my face was full of shock and happiness! Oh Yes my song was playing!

The sound that filled the room could shatter ear drums they were loud! Which of course all us rock fans love! The guitar work from Scott Holiday was beautifully produced, just perfect. The cords are so simple but he makes them come across so intricate and well mixed. 

And I can't possibly explain how much Jay Buchanan's voice blew me away! The notes he hit when producing the proper rock scream gave me goose bumps and left me standing there with my mouth open in awe. Trust me this man could smash any note you gave him out of the park! (Metaphorically of course.)

Highlights of the night came when the songs off of the new album, 'Electric Man', 'Secret' and 'Good Luck' were played. The sound was incredible from the whole band. The performance they provided was exceptional and they just proved exactly why they have the reputation they do. I first heard of the band when watching highlights of the High Voltage Festival on Sky Arts and since then I have followed them.

As a separate highlight I need to mention the song 'Where I've Been'. This song has stuck with me since the night ended. As you probably know the day after a gig you always end up walking around work or school the next day singing a song from the previous night. And this is the song for me that has just stuck. It wasn't a full on rock song but the emotion and power behind the lyrics and music was truly moving and I feel everyone in the room that night would agree with me. I love it when a song tells a story and 'Where I've Been' did exactly that. If you have a spare six minutes please take a listen to that track as it is pure genius.

Finishing off the review I would just like to thank both Rival Sons and Blues Pills for putting on an incredible show for a sell out crowd. You truly have a strong fan base in the Midlands, so if you are reading (Probably not) please do come back in the next year or so as I would love to see you guys perform again. And to you the reader do take a look at their back catalogue as I promise you will not be disappointed.

Lissy.C