The fact that Milton Keynes’ mob Ramblin’ Preachers and their rendition of “Whippin’ Post” is not a shock. It’s a staple, after all, of many a “Southern Rock” band and has been for as long as anyone can remember.
However, what is new – and very much in character for RP – is the fact they supe it up and make it their own.
What they do is very much that. They take something you know and love and give it a fresh twist.
Much of the set comes from their “Sins And Virtues” album released in the spring, and its best stuff, like “Forbidden”, with its Clutch-style groove, and “Jealousy” sounds even better here.
“Keep Doing You”, a single, has a touch of Bad Touch about it, while “Hard Times” shines another light again on their obvious ability to write choruses, and when the acoustics come out for “Wish You Well” they do so with great effect.
“Jester” which singer Ross explains is about his wife, is a superb thing and guitarist James has a fine line in lead solos and that’s another.
This is their first show in Birmingham, and it seems as though Ramblin’ Preachers are set to do it one city at a time.
Chris Tapp has a point.
“We came to England with coats,” he says. “And we get here and it’s hotter than Florida.”
There’s sweat running down the walls in the Sunflower Lounge basement, and the odd thing is while that’s a setting that most bands of this type would love, The Cold Stares (“We’re The Hot Stares tonight” laughs Tapp) are a more studious thing. The sort of outfit that you immerse yourself in rather than having a visceral aggression, and that still comes through tonight.
The three-piece have a new album due this week, and they are clearly confident in it, given how much they play. “Coming Home” and the immediate highlight “Horse To Water” are clues as to how good it is.
They are clever enough to sprinkle their hour with some choice cuts from their past. “Nothin’ But The Blues” is a catchy gem, “I Was A Fool” is funky and turned into a jam with snatches of Hendrix, and when they go back to their debut for “Third Degree,” it is a very welcome inclusion.
Playing with few frills and less bombast, it’s a testament to the quality of their songs—ones like “Heavy Shoes”—that they can mesmerise a room.
Another of the new songs, “Confession,” brings energy as Brian Mullins proves his skill on the drums, while the still relatively new bassist Bryce Klueh shows why they were right to become a trio with his work on “Prosecution Blues.”
After “Any Way The Wind Blows,” they’re gone, and there’s no encore. You could say, of course, there isn’t because that’d be rock star trappings, and The Cold Stares are not that band.
What they are, though, is one of the best at what they do.
And just like the last time they were in the second city 18 months ago, they quietly go about letting their music do the talking.
