This is about our third or fourth time of seeing this wonderful band live, and they do seem to tour incessantly, you won’t get any moans from us on that front. With their 10th studio album, ‘Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes’, on the horizon, they seem to get better and better. The setlist was always going to have some newer numbers in it, not that you would notice as they fit in seamlessly and we don’t mean just on sound, but quality of material. And judging on the reaction of the sizeable crowd for a mid-week gig, we were all in agreement.

This band delivers their brand of southern rock with a touch of blues and country thrown in without flash bangs or lasers, just great musicianship. With all the very talented band gelling into one, Robert Jon’s voice is big and strong and on songs like, ‘Blame It On the Whiskey’ and ‘Red Moon Rising’, sublime. And when he asks the crowd for a sing song on ‘Oh Miss Carolina’, even he seemed taken aback by the powerful response, as they almost took the roof off! But without flinching stormed into, ‘Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man’, and ‘Cold Night’, before goading the crowd in singing, ‘Tired Of Drinking Alone’, not that they needed much encouragement. And finishing with an extended version of, ‘Hey Hey Mama’, with duelling guitars and organ joining into a cacophony of glorious sound. I just have to mention Henry James on guitar what a player he is stupendous – world class, in a world class band. These guys are arena ready, now.

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe