Quite what L.A Edwards make of the autumnal UK weather isn’t spoken about (we do know that L.A himself isn’t keen on the warm beer over here) but their sound brings the warmth back.
As they were when they were over here last year with White Buffalo the five piece are both impressive, as well as classic sounding, yet at the same time totally original.
A different set from the one 18 months back, with a decent smattering of this year’s album “Out Of The Heart Of Darkness”.
“Already Gone” – one of its choice cuts – opens, with a solo that shakes things to life. That’s typical of the band. Always taking twists and turns that you wouldn’t expect. Like the flute section in “Now You Know” courtesy of one of the Edwards brothers, Jay.
Another, Jerry, co-wrote the harmonica-drenched “The Crow” but the whole band is on the top of their game on the highlight “HI RIGHT NOW!” which is suitably blissed out.
“Louisana” is anchored by the drums, but the last one arguably sums it all up. “Day I Die” starts with glorious harmonies from the three brothers, before rocking out and doing so with a message of peace and love.
L.A Edwards are a wonderful band. One that has it all to make a real mark.
With a sound that could have come deep out of the Laurel Canyon in the late 1960s, but still sounds like it belongs in 2023.
Rival Sons have an indelible mark on the history of music in this city. On 4th Feb 2017, they were the opening act for the final show of Black Sabbath.
I was there. It is a quirk of date that it was it was almost to the day a couple of years after that when they last played this room. A lot has changed since.
The world went to hell and is still there so far as I can tell, and Rival Sons response to this was a double album project (“siblings” as Jay Buchanan puts it) with “Darkfighter” already out and “Lightfighter” to come.
The first of these was (as I wrote) not quite a return to form (the 2019 “Feral Roots” record was that) but it was their best album in a decade. The band (albeit that they change their set every night) play all of it during the course of their two hours.
“Mirrors” is a statement of intent to kick off with, but “Nobody Wants To Die” – its utter highlight- kicks things up a gear.
There’s a real strident opening, “Electric Man” is one of a handful from the early back catalogue, belongs too
“Mercy”, the new single, has a real classic sound, and they follow it with “Where I’ve Been”. It feels like a real centrepiece as Buchanan speaks movingly about two friends who have suffered mental anguish
Then there’s a simple “Let’s change the channel here” from the barefoot frontman, and a crushing groove ushers in “Too Bad”.
Scott Holliday, the bands’ wonderful guitar player, shows his skills on the two-necked axe for “Darkside” and they play “Bright Light” for the first time on tour, before “Mosiac”, the other “Lightfighter” song, which Buchanan calls the “Last chapter”.
“Feral Roots” is the first of two extended jams, “Face of Light” , another moment of tenderness and the only song from their seminal “Pressure And Time” record, is likewise as Holliday plays a lengthy solo.
There’s no encore as such, but Buchanan plays “Shooting Stars” solo and gives a simple message to all sides in the war in Gaza of “Leave the kids alone”, before the band return for “Keep On Swingin'”.
That’s the only track they play from “Head Down” too and the fact they play so little from their early albums is perhaps indicative of a group that wants to look forward – and which should with confidence.
Rival Sons have always been great, but it is reasonable to argue on this evidence
that they are better than ever.
