RIVAL SONS | LIVE REVIEW
Sin City, Swansea, Mon 29 June
I’ll be honest with you: when I initially saw the announcement for Rival Sons playing in Sin City here on my doorstep, I thought it had been some kind of mistake. But no, it indeed was happening, and what a triumph that was for the Swansea rock club. Seeing that the American band has grown accustomed to arenas and larger venues, to witness the setup in the intimacy of Sin City was a treat.
A humid evening inside and out, the warm sweaty June weather was replicated inside the cosy venue, helped mostly by the early birds that had congregated to get a glimpse of the worthy support act. London-based Australians The Graveltones whipped the crowd into a frenzy and flew through a number of their heavy hits. What a way to kick off proceedings.
Fresh from their Sunday Glastonbury slot opening the Other Stage, Californians Rival Sons hit the stage to a roaring packed house. The capacity crowd were gunning for this show. Set opener Electric Man sets the tone from the get-go, a perfect opening. Lead singer Jay Buchanan rips through Secret, Pressure And Time and Torture with ease: a great range of vocals not dissimilar to those of Robert Plant.
Every member of the Long Beach four-piece have their time to shine throughout the show – lead guitarist Scott Holiday and his pristinely kept moustache hammers through thundering riffs and solos, Mike Miley thumps the leather off his drum kit, while the cool looking Dave Beste keeps a beautiful bassline in the midst of the madness. Showing no sign of letting up, tracks Rich And The Poor, Where I’ve Been and Open My Eyes sound amazing and show the versatility of the group as they bring down the tempo here and there.
With the end in sight, closing number Tell Me Something manages to blow an amp, before some impromptu technical fixes allow a final encore of crowd pleaser Keep On Swinging. This proved a great occasion to hear one of rock’n’roll’s most promising groups of the moment. A modern-day Led Zeppelin, Rival Sons are well and truly on the road to the top.
words OWEN SCOURFIELD
