Robert Jon & The Wreck Southampton 1865 . 23/11/24
No support act, no roadies, self tuning & switching guitars between songs (nicely covered by the rest of the band starting a slow burn introduction to most of the songs) this was (one assumes) a cost effective tour in these tough times...
.. but once Robert Jon and the Wreck hit the stage they were magnificent. Their approach to constantly touring and somehow constantly recording new material meant that everyone around me knew the words to every song and sang along (albeit with more enthusiasm than talent).. that's the sign of good, well loved band.
I'm not going to go through song by song as frankly I was enjoying it too much to make a note but it was a good mix of new and older tunes.. a different set list to the last time I saw them. Stand out tracks for me have to be Do You Remember (making a cold, wet Southampton feel like a warm summer night in Nashville), Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man and the genre busting Last Light on The Highway (parts 1 & 2).
These guys are musically brilliant.. their mix of Southern Rock, funk, Americana is just unique but it works so well. At times you close your eyes and hear the piano and guitar interplay and you think it's a Skynyrd song you've somehow missed, other times twin harmony guitars attack like Thin Lizzy or The Allman Brothers.
..and while we're on about it, the extra guitar solos that Henry James Schneekluth manages to slip in and extend songs like Cold Night into Freebird proportions are magnificent.
The first time I reviewed one of their albums I said RJatW were "your new favourite band, you just don't know it yet"..well judging by tonight's turnout, word is starting to get out!
Still my favourite band.
NR
Pictures credited to Michael Palmer and used with thanks.
