Rival Sons @ Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton, 9th December 2014
Entering the final dates of the year, Rival Sons have been touring this year to support this summer’s “Great Western Valkyrie” and tonight play the Wulfrun in Wolverhampton. Their last visit was at the smaller Slade rooms, so it’s clear to see that their fan-base is growing, and judging by tonight’s show the next tour will see them promoted upstairs to the Civic.
Entering the stage strictly at nine o’clock (with a spaghetti western introduction music, what else given the album’s cover) they erupt with “All over the road”, before ploughing their huge back catalogue. Valkyrie is the Rival’s fourth album and gets a good airing tonight.
Jay Buchanan is every inch the down-to-earth rock frontman, and he’s no nonsense with hardly any crowd interaction or commentary, it’s simply one storming song after another. In fact it’s about twenty minutes before “Hello Wolverhampton” when the house lights are asked to be put on “so I can see you all”. Tonight is sold-out and with the lights on the plume of steam can be seen rising from the crowd.
During “Manifest Destiny Part 1” the fine talents of Scott and Dave are evident and it’s hard to believe that the band has only been going since 2009. Tight, exact, pin-point or whatever other cliché’s you want to throw at them they are finely crafted and it’s going to be a huge ask to better Valkyrie. Take “Good Things”, a little bit blues, a little bit rock, perfect for an advert, perfect for a late night sipping a fine malt, hard to categorise but easy to admire.
Rival Sons are going to be huge and deservedly so.
Merchandise consists of shirts and vinyl, sadly none of which are signed (the merchandise looked at me as if I’d landed from Mars when I asked) and the show was recorded from the mixing desk (once the photographer had retrieved his tripod after a punter shoved it over onto the mixing desk)
Outside afterwards it’s a dreary cold wet winter night in Wolves, but we’ve just been treated to some California sunshine and it was magnificent.
Review: Glenn Raybone
Photograph: Mercenary Publicity