I don’t think there is a better way of spending a Wednesday evening that at a live music venue watching and listening to the one thing the last 16 months deprived us all of so badly.  Tonight KK’s is buzzing, so many Wildhearts fans have made their way to one of the best venues in the country but it’s not just Wildhearts fans, there are Those Damn Crows t-shirt adorned fans everywhere! 

The barrier is rammed as James and the Cold Gun take to the stage to get things underway.

The South Wales band are pure rock and roll.  Guitar driven ear smashing high tensile rock.  Delivering a brief 30 minute set was enough to show us what this band are about and let’s hope we see them again in the Midlands in the not too distant future.

Those Damn Crows are a band on fire, their reputation is well deserved as the atmosphere in KK’s really hotted up in anticipation.

I always struggle to put into words just how good this band is.  They have everything, the tunes, the riffs, the basslines, the  supreme tub thumping but it’s those huge vocals from Shane Greenhall that take this band above so many others. 

Opening with ‘Who Did It’, the energy as they strike up is astronomic.  There’s no time to chat as they blast straight into ‘Longtime Dead’.  The smiles on the bands faces mirror those of the fans, this sounds splendid and everyone in KK’s knows it.

‘Someone Someday’ and ‘Don’t Give a Damn’ quickly follow.  The pace of the music, the drive of the guitars and pulse of the drums all brought together with the catchiness of the songs is always something to behold with the Bridgend boys.  A fabulous way to pave the way for The Wildhearts.  40 minutes of the Crows was never going to be long enough but it did add massively to the build-up for The Wildhearts.

The lights go down, the familiar intro of ‘Don’t Worry’ has KK’s patrons singing along as The Wildhearts beam their way onto the stage;  and I do mean beam, the smiles on CJ’s and Gingers faces summed up the mood of things to come.

If a band could bottle energy, I’d buy some of The Wildhearts. Nuclear powered, punk edged, rock and f*ckin’ roll.

Opening with ’Diagnosis’, flooring the gas straight into ‘Vanilla Radio’ and ‘Sick of Drugs’  it’s life in the fast lane for everyone. 

Watching Ginger thoroughly enjoying himself, guitar swaying, vocals on top form and CJ prowling round in circles and delivering his usual leaps and bounds is always a pleasure to see.  Pausing only briefly for a quick chat, Ginger is on form, the band are on form, the crowd are on form, tonight is a special one it is so good. 

‘Remember These Days’ and then, probably my favourite Wildhearts song, ‘Caffeine Bomb’ keeps the momentum going.  The crowd are keeping up, dancing and singing along at full voice, some nights are good but tonight was more than that, it was epic!

The 14 song set spans across the bands albums including their new release, ‘21^st Century Love Songs’, which is deservedly riding high in the charts, ensure that the older fans and the newer ones are catered for. They finish with ‘Sucker Punch’ and ‘I Wanna Go’. I’ve seen the band play 4 times since we were all released from captivity and every gig has been amazing but this gig at KK’s was spot on.  A hot and sweaty night, just like rock and roll should be.

Catch the band on this tour if you can, so much that is good about their live shows, coupled with atom splitting energy will ensure you enjoy every minute, I know I did.

Words & photographs: Lindsay Smith

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us