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Fronted by one of the most talented, prolific and underrated
artists this country has ever produced, The Wildhearts are out on the road
again. Their first full tour since the highly successful "Earth vs. The
Wildhearts 20th Anniversary Tour" last year.
Hey! Hello!
Kicking the night off were Hey! Hello!, a band whose
co-vocalist and guitarist is... well, Ginger Wildheart. With a CD funded via
Pledgemusic (the online crowd funding site which Ginger has used for the past
few years - incredibly successfully too), the band's material was already very
familiar to the audience, who made sure they were in the Academy nice and early
so as not to miss anything. Taking the main vocal parts is New Yorker Victoria
Liedtke, cute as a button and a fantastic pair of lungs. With all the
catchiness you've come to expect from Ginger - the guy can't half write a tune
- they storm through their 30min set, which goes down a storm. Highlights
included 'How I Survived the Punk Wars' - which is basically a how-to guide for
young bands, including the memorable and powerful refrain "Ask lots of
questions, don't eat the bullshit" and the more radio friendly 'Swimwear'.
Looking dapper in a suit, Ginger and co. perform a support slot set worthy of a
headliner.
Von Hertzen Brothers
In the unenviable position of following that were Von
Hertzen Brothers, a Finnish rock band who do a great job of converting the
crowd with their mix of power prog and classic rock. Think Foo Fighters channeling Dream Theater without the extended solos and long songs. An
energetic band, they fly through a spirited set which leaves the audience in
the mood for more.
The Wildhearts
Hitting the stage with the barrage of classic songs, which
in a more sensible world would have been massive hits, The Wildhearts are a
force to be reckoned with. They've had their ups and downs with substance
problems and the usual band-breakups, but the current line-up: Ginger, C.J.,
Ritch Battersby and returning bassist Scott Sorry, are firing on all cylinders;
and what's more - they are having a blast on stage. Opening number 'Nothing
Ever Changes But The Shoes' might as well sum up the music, wonderfully catchy,
powerful and stunning lyrics. More favourites follow in quick succession: 'TV
Tan', 'Caffeine Bomb', 'Nita Nitro', 'Sick of Drugs', the crowd lapping it up,
bouncing and singing heartily along, much to the pleasure of the band.
Later songs such as 'Vanilla Radio' and 'The Revolution Will
Be Televised' are treated just as well as the classics, and by the time of the
final volley of 'My Baby Is a Headfuck', 'Suckerpunch' and 'I Wanna Go Where
the People Go', the crowd has been pummeled into submission.
Being The Wildhearts, however, it's not over. The band are
famous for their encores, which last almost as long as the main set. So we are
treated to another 40mins to bounce to. Following perennial sing-along 'Geordie
in Wonderland'. the band take the set in a different direction. This portion
featured some of the band's favourites which don't get played too often. Ginger
asking if this is OK, but I doubt there were many people complaining as they
gave us renditions of 'Nexus Icon', 'Tim Smith' and 'The Only One' (from the
criminally ignored 'Chutzpah' album), 'The Jackson Whites' and even
'Junkenstein' from 'Endless Nameless', the album Ginger loves - but, so he
says, "everyone else here hates".
They finally leave the stage following a blistering version of '29 x the Pain',
a song which no Wildhearts gig should be without.
With several other solo projects ongoing, including the
latest Pledgemusic success, 'Albion' which shipped in a beautiful deluxe
book-type package this week and hits stores in a stripped-down one disc version
on April 14th, you have to admire the Geordie, who seems to have really got his
shit together and regained his passion for what he does best. One day, Ginger
Wildheart will be recognised as one of the greatest songwriters this country
has ever produced. Discover him now before it's too late to truly appreciate
him.
10 out of 10
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