Gig review: LIGHTNING THREADS – The Half Moon, Putney, 3 May 2026

May 8th, 2026 by jason

The recently refurbished Half Moon welcomed a Sheffield based double header over the bank holiday weekend with headliners, Lightning Threads, backed up by The Fargo Railroad Co.

Fargo are something else! Their light hearted but infectious take on Southern Country Rock makes you smile from the get go, with front man Jody Davies leading the enthusiastic audience through a series of sing-a-long barroom numbers with the highlight for me being ‘Drinking Alone’ with the audience reminding Jody that he is, indeed, an ‘asshole’ (you had to be there!). Great fun and one to catch in the future.

Lightning Threads are currently touring in support of their latest album, the excellent ‘Trinkets’ and tonight’s set, unsurprisingly, leans heavily on that release with the first three songs from the album opening up the show.

And what is immediately obvious is how the new material, already exceptional in its studio form comes alive on the road. Opener, ‘Nowhere To Go’ builds from its atmospheric beginnings into a powerful statement of intent. It, like everything on ‘Trinkets’ is rooted deep in the heart of traditional Blues, but sprinkled liberally with the Thread’s own rock orientated flavouring. Tom Jane’s guitar tone here, and throughout the evening, is to die for, his powerful lead vocal grabs your immediate attention while the harmony BV’s, evoke that deep south planation vibe. ‘Wild One’ and ‘What Can I Say’ follow, a double punch of blues rock driven along by Sam Burgum’s insistent bass lines and Hugh Butler’s drums and on point keys (no, I don’t know how he does both either!).

Previous album, ‘Off That Lonely Road’ is not forgotten and next up we have a couple of tracks from that 2023 release, ‘This Ain’t Easy’ followed by, ‘The Preacher’. While the latter has a more commercial groove, both of these early compositions fit seamlessly alongside the heavier style of the new material.

The soulful ‘What a Fever Does’, another ‘Trinkets’ cut, all shimmering guitar and impassioned lead vocal and a blistering run through Rory Gallagher’s ‘Crest of a Wave’ take us past the midway point. The Threads are really cooking now, the energy coming off the stage clear for us all to see, hear and feel. This is blues rock at its finest!

It’s back to ‘Trinkets’, with the swinging bluesy shuffle of ‘Rags & Riches’, then ‘Devil Inside Of Me’ the latter giving a respectful nod to early Zeppelin with a Wah flavoured lead break Mr Page would be proud of. We’re racing towards the end of the main set now, with my favourite track from the first album, ‘Brown Liquor, Black Coffee’. Underpinned by Butler’s organ riff (no, I still don’t know how he does it!) we’re transported into a black and white movie, set in a seedy South American gin joint, with a few bars of the Doors’, ‘Break On Through’ eased in for good measure, which allows Sam Burgum the chance to step up to the mic.

The set ends with another cracking cover, Albert King’s ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, a frequent flyer in the Threads sets, it’s a song that the band have made their own.

First up in the unsurprisingly loudly requested encore is a wander into the audience for Tom Jane and Sam Burgum. Their acoustic guitar accompanied, vocal duet on the 100 year old gospel song ‘Let It Shine On Me’, is stunning. Back on stage the band are joined by Andy Davison from The Fargo Railroad Co. to add some blues harmonica to the magnificent ‘With A Heavy Heart’. This instrumental track is a monster, building from drummer Butler’s wistful piano intro (absolutely no idea how he does it…witchcraft seems the best bet!) and ending up as a Santana/Threads mash up. Arms twisted for one more song the night draws to a close with the infectious rockabilly boogie of ‘Shook’, a brilliant end to an outstanding night of blues rock.

Tonight, Lightning Threads prove once again that they have what it takes to stand out in a crowded genre. Their take on blues rock may well be rooted in the sound of the masters like Albert King, but they create a unique blues experience that leaves you with a song in your head and a smile on your face.

King said that ‘If you can’t dig the blues, you got a hole in your soul’ well, if you can’t dig the Threads, you need to have a firm word with yourself. Check them out on tour now and then, later in the year, with Blue Nation. Trust me you’re in for a treat.

Review and photos by Neil Pudney

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Power Plays w/c 27 April 2026

SELF-DECEPTION Don’t Belong (Napalm Records)
THE DEVIL WEARS NADA Elephant In The Room (Eonian Records)
blacktoothed Monsters (Arising Empire)
BANKS ARCADE Severance (Arising Empire)
SULLY ERNA & BILLY MORRISON Becoming (TLG/Zoid)
SWEET GORILLA Give Them What They Want (5000 Records)
EMILY WOLFE Lips (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 27 April 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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