Gig review: STONE BROKEN – 100 Club, London, 23 February 2023

March 1st, 2023 by andynathan

After a fairly conventional tour schedule in 2022 (in which I caught their London show, rearranged for the Scala, and two festival appearances) Stone Broken decided on a new approach for a second leg of dates in support of most recent album ‘Revelation’. Badged ‘Come Closer’, they deliberately selected smaller and more intimate venues, many off the beaten track, to recapture a pre-Covid sense of belonging.

With the band seemingly reaching a plateau of popularity (having already been overtaken by one of their previous support bands in Those Damn Crows, with another in Mason Hill set to follow) it does though carry a self-fulfilling danger that the smaller venues become the norm, a fate that befell Inglorious who have now gone on hiatus. Moreover, with several of the other shows in the South-East (my own London gig buddies saw them at Hertford and Tunbridge Wells), there was a risk the capital show would not be well attended, but though slow to fill, there seemed to be a near full house.

There was also an excellent support band in Scarlet Rebels, a band I’ve not seen enough of yet, not least as last year their second album ‘See Through Blue’ became a shock UK top 10 album. Opening with ‘I’m Alive’ then the big hooks of ‘Take You Home’, they have an interesting approach that marks them out from the mass of New Wave of Classic Rock hopefuls. They have a basic but chunky, almost power pop sound but with the searing solos of the Les Paul-wielding Chris Jones giving them a more metallic edge.

Wayne Doyle is a strong singer, helped by some excellent backing vocals from bassist Wayne Esmonde, and a fine frontman who had the confidence to engage in plenty of audience banter especially during participatory number ‘Save Me’.

On the likes of ‘These Days’ I was reaching for comparisons to Soul Asylum and the Gaslight Anthem and, though a cliché to say so about a Welsh band, there are also elements of the early (and better) Manics and Stereophonics in their passionate anthems.

My one complaint was that many songs sounded too similar to each other, ‘Let Me In’ being a case in point but the rousing ‘Heal’ built from gentle beginnings in fine fashion to end an impressive set.

Stone Broken opened with the title track of ‘Revelation’ with loops and other taped effects, but still with their trademark melodic hooks, before going into more familiar territory with ‘Stay All Night’ and ‘Heartbeat Away’, with ‘Black Sunrise’ combining both old and new approaches.

While great to see them at such close quarters and at one of the few venues to deserve the term iconic, the unusual layout of the 100 Club with the audience at the front divided by a pillar right in the middle made for a slightly unusual atmosphere.

‘Let You Go’ was a reminder Nickelback comparisons are never far away and so far, so usual for a Stone Broken set. But a few surprises were in store to replace the shooting of freebies from a pop gun and the Bad Company cover, neither of which were missed from the last tour, frankly.

First a rare outing for ‘Save Tomorrow’ from their first album that was so impressive that bassist Kieron Conroy received a round of applause as the song had been included at his insistence , then ‘Make it Out Alive’, perhaps the most striking example of how they have broadened with more contemporary and experimental sounds on the new album.

There were then acoustic re-imaginings of two of the ‘Revelation’ tracks in ‘Over the Line’ and ‘This Revival’ to coincide with their inclusion on a digital re-release. As well as further enhancing the intimacy of the evening with the ever affable West Midlanders, the songs had some interestingly different touches, including Robyn Haycock adding backing vocals and playing a drum pad, plus more of the taped keyboard sounds they use rather too much of for my liking.

Frontman Rich Moss was then left alone to sing ‘Wait For You’ solo and acoustic to a lusty crowd accompaniment, until the band kicked in for the closing section, power ballad style. The sentiments are simple but they can be proud to have written such a song that obviously strikes a chord, and which in a parallel world would have been a massive radio hit in the US or used on a TV show or soundtrack.

Recent single ‘Stronger’ equally showed their way with a tune, beginning as a ballad on the verses before a power chording chorus but from then on in it was catchy straight ahead rockers all the way- ‘Worth Fighting For’, and ‘Devil You Know’ which in common with the new material had some modern touches but really grew on me after a staccato intro and to close a slightly short 75 minute set, as at every show, first album favourite ‘Not Your Enemy’ with their stage manager taking over second guitar to allow Rich to work the crowd.

A Stone Broken gig is always a guarantee of good songs and wholesome fun in the company of this hard-working but humble band. However the unusual, intimate format, last night of the tour atmosphere and the tweaks to the standard set, allied to the quality of support, made this perhaps my favourite gig of theirs in recent memory.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)