By Bona Pjarren
“It’s Crows this weekend!” I was reliably informed. So, I’m sitting here in my bunker awaiting the imminent invasion of the wee black feathery buggers when I get the call: “it’s the country rock festival at the O2!” Well, how silly am I?
Moving swiftly to the venue I am confronted by… No, not crows – come on keep up – but The Swamp Born Assassins on stage one. Flapping from Glasgow this six-piece band were formed in 2015. They are, as their name suggests, a swamp rock band. With rock and blues influences, they are both heavy and melodic. Their latest album is ‘Dead Man’s Train’, released earlier this year.
Meanwhile on stage two The Wattingers are performing. A steam punk/steam gothic band formed in 2008 by Steve Wattinger, hence the name. I really liked this band with their dark atmospheric, Gothic darkwave arrangements and great stage presence. Add to that an off the wall sense of humour: they reminded me of a modern-day version of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band together with the reminiscent weirdness of Captain Beefheart. That mixture gives you a truly unusual band.
Back to the main stage for Lol Goodman. With a collection of experienced musicians, they are a fantastic classic blues band. With beautifully crafted laid-back riffs they have created a sound that feels effortless. Their latest album is ‘Scruffy and the Healing Sun’.
Revival Black are a hard rock band from Liverpool that is really making waves on the scene at the moment, as evidenced by the fact that room is packed to bursting point. They get the audience singing enthusiastically to Wide Awake, a track featured on HRH radio recently. Very tight band and Dan Byrne’s vocals are impressive. Check out their current album, ‘No Secrets, No Lies’.
Voodoo Six are now rocking it out on the main stage with their signature rhythmic hard rock sound. ‘Make Way For The King’ was their last release back in 2017. Featuring Ritchie Faulkner of Judas Priest fame and showcasing tracks like ‘Lead Me On’ and ‘Falling Knives’, this is an act not to be missed.
Stage two is hosting The Jupiter Blues who surprisingly have only been going since 2017. They are one of the up and coming blues acts, giving high energy slick performances they are a band to watch out for the future. Check out their Facebook page to stream or download their recently released EP.
The Outlaw Orchestra bring their own unique brand of country rock to the main stage. With bluegrass elements and featuring electronic banjo and double bass they are a bona fide party band. Hailing from the deep south of the UK they have an infectious groove that is guaranteed to get your foot tapping. Tongue in cheek lyrics such as ‘Shit Faced’ just add to their charm. They completed their set with ‘Back to Georgia’.
Pig Irön are next up. A blues-heavy rock band that was formed from the ashes of Burnt Ash Sun. They have been active since 2001. Johnny Ogle’s soulful vocals and screaming harp solos help give the band a distinctive flavour. Backed up with Dan Edward’s driving chunky guitar riffs they are a force to be reckoned with.
Jason and the Scorchers are self-described as alternative country, heartland rock and cow punk. Cow punk? Fresians with mohawks and bondage udders? Oh, I just have to get on board with some of this. Well, the nearest I can get to it is country meets rockabilly, but in quite an original way. They have well-crafted songs that would definitely pass the old grey whistle test. Jason Ringenberg, lead vocalist, informs us that this is the first time they have played in two years. No need to apologize: there is absolutely no rustiness displayed here. Second song in, they launch into a cover of ‘When the Angels Cry’ (composed by Don Schlitz). Then it’s a driving rock version of ‘Drugstore Truck Driving Man’ (Gram Parsons). Another highlight was ‘I Can’t Help Myself’, a high energy rock and roll track. They finished with ‘Mona Lee’. In short, I recommend catching this band.
The Kentucky Headhunters have a smooth effortless style that just begs you to groove along to it. Warm vocal harmonies welcome you into their gentle timeless music. Their debut album was released in 1989, ‘Pickin on Nashville’… well somebody’s got to. And they have been performing ever since. Their love of blues music seeps out of every song they play, featuring at times jazz and even swing elements. Their cover of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ is something to be savoured, stunning in its arrangements, they really own this song. They finished with ‘Davy Crockett’, and ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ was one of their encore numbers.
Sunday already? Wow that went quickly. I’m sitting here in the main room watching Black Whiskey, a classic hard rock outfit from London. They have just released a new album entitled ‘Dry Bones’. The band has been involved in various styles of rock and metal over the years, but it was their love of classic heavy rock that has forged this band together. With influences such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, UFO and Scorpions, they wear their hearts on their sleeves. They featured ‘Bitter Pill’ and ‘Burning Bridges’ from their latest release.
Over to stage two and Nine Miles South, who are from Guilford and have just released an EP titled ‘III’. They state that they are a rock band, what can I add to that? Yup! Springs to mind. Heavy with driving rhythms they are certainly a band with attitude. But they are more than that. Their songs are well-crafted and they have some interesting guitar voicings which does make them stand out from the crowd. They displayed elements of country and blues then occasionally parts that sounded as though they might launch into prog. I know they are gaining interest from the media, and I can see why.
Doomsday Outlaw open their set with Phil doing a stunning acapella intro: now that is how you get the attention of the audience. Add to that some immense Hammond organ sounds and you have a stunning blues mix that is full of soul. They mixed it up with songs like ‘This Is The End’ and ‘Dream Myself To Death’. Doomsday Outlaw are a good time band. Big sound and thoroughly entertaining. Ryan is filling in on keys as Aled is away getting married. What a great addition to the band Ryan is! They finished with ‘Bring Your Pain’.
A five-piece dirty rock and blues band out of Manchester, Gorilla Riot have a great sound, incorporating grunge, stoner and country. Quite a mix! But does it work? Of course, it does! It’s heavy blues rock delivered with an abundance of atmosphere. Their groove is effortless and packed with big chunky riffs combined with well worked harmonies, between the vocalists and the three guitarists. They performed a superb version of ‘Bad Son’ and finished with a cover of ‘Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be’.
Matt Pearce and the Mutiny are a great little blues band. They have just released their debut album ‘Gotta Get Home’. Matt, also guitarist with Voodoo Six, had wanted to explore his love of blues and soul so it made sense to form a new band. The Mutiny are the result, incorporating funky elements they are a classic soulful blues band of the highest magnitude. ‘Gotta Get Home’ is a great number and had the crowd singing. ‘Ordinary Blues’ was another stand out number. Obviously, Matt covered a lot of tracks from the debut album and my impression is that it is worth a listen. Chris Bakus guested on saxophone just to top off a fantastic set.
Touted as one of the finest guitar players in the world at present, Rob Tognoni is the headline act. Combining classic rock, blues rock and just straight blues he has forged a formidable reputation. Releasing tracks since 1995, his breakthrough album was ‘Monkey Grinder’ in 2001 and he has added a sizeable collection of albums to that over the years, 16 to be precise. ‘Live at Meisenfrie’ was his last release in 2018. The band are really tight and, if you’re into 70s style blues, this would probably be your sort of thing. As you can tell I really didn’t get it.
- PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © Simon Dunkerley/HRH CROWS. All copyright remains with the photographer.
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