To borrow my own line I tweeted out (I’ll not call it X, Elon, you massive knob), “If Skam is opening at 6:20, then imagine what the rest of the bill is like. The Leicester trio are a welcome presence on any bill, and “Rising Phoenix” is a prime example of the superb hard rock they always seem to bring.
Singer Steve Hill reckons that “Bring The Rain” is one of his favourites and they’ve just returned with a quite superb new single, “Fate Of The Souls,” which—like “Massacre”—is from the heavier end of their material. The latter of the two is augmented with a snippet of “War Pigs.”
Their short but very sweet set ends with the old favourite “No Lies.” If they’ve got a long history with the bands on this superb bill, then with the class they have, Skam belongs anywhere.
Even before The Hot Damn! Appear onstage, the night gets more Technicolor. There’s an explosion of neon and day-glo, right down to their inflatable unicorn, which, as ever, adorns the stage.
They’ve just released their debut album, and it is a similar sugar rush. “Fizz, Buzz Crash”—their opener—rather sets the tone.
The type of power pop not heard since Silver Sun, all injected with more E-numbers than cheap sweets, courses through “Dance Around.” But there’s a line in “Dance Around” that sums them up. Amidst all the hi-kicking, Gill Montgomery suggests that she’ll “ask for forgiveness, not permission,” and you sort of know that they could find trouble if they wanted to.
“Live Laugh Love” has one of those choruses that stick, and their middle-fingered anthem, “I Never Liked You Anyway,” rather underlines that for all the fun, you’d best stay on their good side.
Everything is set fair for The Hot Damn! Their album is finally out, and you wouldn’t bet against them doing some special things.
The presence of Bad Touch on any bill is always welcome. Let’s get it said straight off. There’s an alternate reality where they are huge, and their first foray here, “Lift Your Head Up,” is all you need to see to agree.
They’re dapper, and they might well play “Dressed To Kill”—which features a drum interlude from drummer Brad (who has the best perm since Leo Sayer)—and the mighty “Good On Me (The Jeans Song).”
New guitarist Pete has fit in well, and “Taste This” is pure sleaze.
But there are wonderful songs wherever you look, whether it’s “See It To Believe It” or even their cover of “Hand In My Pocket”—which shouldn’t work but does, largely because they make it their own.
After their mash-up of “This Life/Baby Get It On,” they afford themselves a type of encore. Because—let’s be honest here—everyone in here knows how good “99%” is.
Bad Touch is brilliant. That’s all that needs to be said, and I’m 100% certain of that.
If we’ve seen the best perm of 2024, then welcome to the best facial hair of the year too. These Wicked Rivers have brought their beards to Wolves to celebrate their 10th birthday.
TWR—who saw their early momentum somewhat stalled by Covid — they’ve sort of gone under the radar a little — but the packed KK’s tonight feels like a ticker-tape parade.
Quite simply, from “Shine On” onwards, they are stunning. “Force Of Nature” is well named, let’s say, because they really are.
This might be a reflection on the last decade, but it’s one that looks forward as well as back. New song “Willow Tree” (one of a couple they share) and oldie “When The War Is Won” mix perfectly.
They’ve gone through bassists with regularity, and they’re all welcomed at points. Dale Tonks (ex-Wolfjaw — RIP Tom) shows up for “Riverboat Man,” and the guests continue as their manager Josie O’Toole (also The Hot Damn! Tub thumper) dons her fake beard for a brilliant “Black Gold.”
Another bass player, John Hallam, reprises his part on “The Bottom Of Here,” while Kira Mac brings her force of nature to “That Girl” from the very early days.
The final bass player of the evening sees Sam Williams (who played on their debut) perform “Evergreen,” and “Floyd” is glorious.
They’ve got a poignant side to them too. Singer John and keysman Rich join together for a gorgeous “Lonely Road To Hell” (which is my sort of party song, if we’re honest).
After another new one, “Ain’t No Smoke,” there are a couple more special guests. Phil Connalane — singer of Blackwater Conspiracy, with whom they had their first proper UK tour — lends his wonderful lungs to “Testify” before The Karma Effect’s Henry steals the limelight on the huge “The Family.”
This leaves just one more, and just the four of them do “Don’t Pray For Me,” and at the end, singer John Hartwell adds a coda, that bit from Neil Young’s “Hey Hey My My” that suggests that “rock n roll will never die.”
And it won’t, not if bands like this quartet exist.
On an evening like this, you think back to the first time you saw a band. In my case, the inaugural occasion for These Wicked Rivers was literally days before Covid shut everything down.
Just up the road, they were second on a three-band bill headlined by Massive Wagons. That night, I wrote: “They’ve got a new record due, and if this is anything to go by, it is going to be a stunner.”
Four and a half years on, they’ve delivered arguably the best night of the year so far.
