Gig review: PREACHER STONE- Cart and Horses, London, 29 January 2026

January 31st, 2026 by andynathan

Many bands balk at the cost of making the trip across the Atlantic from the USA so (ten gallon) hats off to North Carolina’s Preacher Stone who flew over for an extensive winter tour of the UK. Previously they were only vaguely on my radar- I saw their name on the bill at Maid of Stone in 2024, but on the day I couldn’t make, and was then surprised to learn their first album came out as long ago as 2009.

As a long-time fan of southern rock I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity this time. In doing so I took advantage of how the Elizabeth Line has improved connections between West and East London to pay a long overdue visit to the Cart and Horses, where the original Iron Maiden cut their teeth. As well as celebrating Maiden’s heritage and stocking the ever expanding Trooper range of beers, it has a thriving programme of gigs in its small but well appointed basement.

There was a very well matched musical support, also from the South- albeit southern England- in Revenant. In a set of 45 minutes or so, they capitalised on the favourable impressions I’d gained on my only previous sighting, at Firevolt a couple years back where they were a battle of the bands winner.

Opening with ‘Public Service Announcement’ and ‘Best Medicine’, it was immediately clear that while they rock hard, they also have good songs and both singer Sugarman Sam and Matthew Hudson have a lovely melodic tone to their guitar solos. ‘Waste My Time’ and ‘Something You’re Not’ both impressed.

Sam is also a good frontman with a ready sense of humour and managed to get people to keep their phone lights up during ‘Healer’ which was a change of pace and carried a serious mental health message. In musical contrast both ‘Black Dogs and Sad Men’ and ‘Masquerade’ had a bit of Black Stone Cherry-like heaviness to them.

My flabber was ghasted at hearing the opening riff to ‘When the Levee Breaks’, but the band and drummer Carl D in particular rose to the challenge superbly and it was refreshing to hear a Led Zeppelin cover beyond the over familiar. With Matthew by now playing a Flying V, they ended with ‘Coming Back To Life’, which Sam self deprecatingly said his ex would not like, and another new song in ‘I’ll Be There’. It was a set that made enough of an impact for me to buy a set of their EPs to date.

There was a quick turnaround as Preacher Stone made their final preparations, looking in their leather cut offs like a bunch of seasoned bikers about to embark on the ride to Sturgis. However things did not get off to a good start as during ‘Hard Life PHD’ they had some technical troubles which forced a delay while they fixed them. Fortunately it was early enough in the set to allow the momentum to be swiftly brought back up with the title track of current album ‘By the Horns’ and ‘Old Joe’.

Many of the current crop of southern bands straddle the ever-decreasing divide between country and rock, but Preacher Stone sit squarely in the latter category, harking back to an older generation of southern rockers, Doc Holliday and even Molly Hatchet coming to mind. ‘The Devil You Know’ was a classic example with some great guitar work from the well matched pair of recent recruit Darell Whit and Ben ‘Danger’ Robinson, with his Les Paul slung low.

Tour manager John was brought on stage to celebrate his birthday before both ‘Old Fashioned Ass Whipping Sum Bitch’ (sic), which featured those twin guitars, and ‘Not Today’ had a lovely vintage Skynyrd -like groove to them. A brief solo from drummer Wyatt, who laid down a solid backbone with bassist Jim Bolt, preceded ‘Dance With the Devil’, ‘Saddled and Rode’ and one of the featured singles from the new album in ‘Writing On the Wall’.

Singer Ronnie Riddle, sporting a Harley Davidson beanie, dark glasses and a western shirt, had a good voice and was a warm presence, regularly dispensing his homespun wisdom, not least when introducing ‘Think By Now’. ‘Horse to Water’ was a lengthy change of pace with its swampy, almost Little Feat-like feel, while in contrast after ‘Come What May’ from the current album, ‘Day Late’ (and a dollar short) rocked with a harder riff and Ben ventured through a surprised-looking crowd.

As with all the best southern bands their lively stage moves were very entertaining, and by the latter stages the four at the front were all line astern in ‘guitar army’ style. And just when I was thinking the one difference from the aforementioned greats was the lack of a long epic, the set ended with the nearest to one in ‘Save My Soul’, which began gently but by the end had exploded into a quite brilliant guitar jam which I didn’t want to end.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable set of southern rock in the classic tradition, and better still they extended their old-fashioned southern hospitality to talk to anyone and everyone. The only downside was a disappointingly thin attendance- I suggest you should rectify this for future dates if you possibly can.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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Power Plays w/c 26 January 2026

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR Hell Or High Water (Journeyman Records)
TY FREEMAN One Way Love (indie)
GREY DAZE Monster You Adore (indie)
HOKKA Death By Cupids Arrow (Nuclear Blast Records)
PURPLE DOTS Stared At The Sun (Kycker)
SAINT AGNES Song For Mia (Spinefarm)
STREETLIGHT Shake That Feeling (Frontiers)

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