THE WILDHEARTS / BACKYARD BABIES / CKY | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Mon 3 Feb
Newcastle hard rockers The Wildhearts [top] are returning to the stage for the first time in over 10 years. Showcasing new album Renaissance Men, they descended on the Tramshed for the penultimate date on their tour of Germany and the UK, accompanied by co-headliners Backyard Babies and supported by Pennsylvania’s CKY [bottom].
A spate of jarring and unexepected lineup changes, including the departure of frontman Deron Miller and his subsequent replacement by Chad Ginsberg, over the past decade seems to have crippled the energy of tonight’s openers. For a once MTV-famous band which existed on the fringes of the mainstream, their current output feels lacklustre, and the three empty spaces on stage were unmissable.
If they’d declared themselves to be crusty defrosted Vikings, one would be inclined to agree with Swedish sleaze-rockers Backyard Babies [above]. Veterans of the scene, their setlist was dominated by the 2019 album Silver To Gold, but still managed to squeeze in all the fan favourites – notably, a tearjerking performance of Painkiller was dedicated to celebrating their bassist Dregen overcoming his issues with addiction, and their trademark riffs remained groovy and danceable.
While they may have never really found mainstream success, even with their more accessible moments, The Wildhearts clearly have cultivated a hardcore following, with the venue packed with aging punks in denim jackets and as much merchandise as could be worn. Their setlist was peppered with a couple of new songs, which fans lapped up enthusiastically, chanting the lyrics along as if it had been a staple for years. It would be easy to be cynical and believe that this reunion is simply a marketing decision to sell albums, but the crackling energy and well-oiled onstage banter revealed the more innocent side of live music. Bombarding the crowd with classic after classic, including Everlone, Sick Of Drugs and the facesmashing anthem Suckerpunch, the gig was more victory lap than reunion.
words ALEX PAYNE photos ANTHONY JAMES