My first visit to the renamed Dingwalls since it changed name and ownership in 2020. The venue was near its 500-berth capacity for Robert Jon & The Wreck who have sold out a good few dates on this tour.

First up were Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes from Bywater Call. The duo were performing as a sort of acoustic advance party for the full seven-piece, Toronto-based roots, rock and soul band who are touring the UK this Autumn. I’d heard only a handful of tracks by the full band before the show, so most of the music was new to me. The most striking aspect of the performance was the wonderful voice of Meghan Parnell. There’s a grainy undertow to her sweet, captivating and powerful range. She never missed a note in the searching glare of a stripped back set.

A cover of the Amy Winehouse’s immortal ‘Back To Black’ was an inspired choice for a Camden crowd, but a bold move too, given the affection for both the singer and the song. However, the delivery was never in doubt and this was a well-received, beautiful tribute.

Dave Barnes on acoustic and occasionally electric guitar, plus stomp box provided a good backdrop – though never more than that – for Parnell’s searching, soulful vocals. They ended with a tender, mournful ‘Bring Me Down’ and I made a mental note to be around for the band’s tour in October.

This was the third tour by Robert Jon & The Wreck since September 2021. Their popularity appears to be growing. Tonight the set was very different from the gig I saw back at the 100 Club 18 months previously, with a good few new-ish tracks making up the first half of the show. After a typically low-key arrival on-stage, opener, ‘Pain No More’ roared out of the PA, with fat riffs, distorted slide and a furious lead break.

The rockier, heavier sound was a feature of a good portion of the set. It emphasised the more freewheeling, boogie-driven elements of new material, released digitally over the last few months in what would have been called EPs back in the day. Certainly, ‘Come At Me’ with its infectious rolling riff, ‘She’s A Fighter’ featuring some wonderful percussive piano and the hard-driving ‘Are You Waiting For Your Man’ together brought a new level of intensity (and indeed volume) to the show.

None of this is criticism. It was great to hear mainman Robert Jon Burrison on vocals and guitar smashing out some straight-ahead assertive choruses to complement his otherwise warm, rootsy delivery. These tracks provided a wonderful platform for Henry James on lead guitar to deliver breath-taking solos. He is one of the best live guitarists I have seen in a long time. The sound has also been reinforced by new keyboard player Jake Abernathie who, it seems, has been given licence to roam and ramble amongst the band’s live material much more than previous incumbents. He is a great addition to the line-up.

In amongst the early tracks, ‘Do You Remember’ stood out as a return to the more typically soulful, southern rock that characterises much of their sound. It is a lovely track, drawing inevitable references to the Allman Brothers where Burrison and James bring twin lead guitar melodies straight out of a fantasy ‘Jessica’ recording session.

Whilst we had been treated to a few excellent instrumental passages already, it was on ‘Rescue Train’ where the band really stretched out for the first time. James coming over stage left to trade some high quality slide guitar with Abernathie’s organ and keys, and who found some hints of The Doors in the extended passages.

‘High Time’ from the band’s eponymous 2018 release, brought a bit of psychedelia on the intro, before Andrew Espantman on drums/cheesy grins and Warren Murrel on bass/cool shades shot the track through with funky rhythm vibes.

By contrast ‘Who Can You Love’ was a much more gentle, country-influenced new song, setting the scene nicely for the brilliant ballad ‘Gold’ and the first real crowd-pleasing, sing-a-long moments of the set. Burrison screwing up his face with emotion on the love-lost, bitter chorus, and James wringing out moving bursts of lead guitar. A real highlight.

Gig review: ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – Powerhaus, London, 11 February 2023 ‘Oh Miss Carolina’ kept the mood bubbling and it was noticeable how much more enthusiastic the crowd were for tracks they knew well. ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’ capitalised on this with its gospel-infused, piano-coloured groove.

There was a sense in the animated room – now damp with condensation dripping from the ceiling (referred to by the band as ‘raining inside!’) that the gig was approaching its climax. Sure enough ‘Cold Night’ was unleashed on the crowd in its now anticipated long-form version, with an instrumental mini-opera so far removed from its 2015 version on ‘Glory Bound’ as to be unrecognisable. This is not so much a trademark rendition as a right of passage.

In previous live reviews of this band, I have tried to avoid describing ‘Cold Night’ as their ‘Freebird’ moment, but it is so hard to avoid comparing the twists, turns, pace changes and drama (rather than the actual notes and melodies) with that Skynyrd track. So there we are. I’ve done it again. James and Abernathie are brilliant together, bouncing off each other in waves of freestyle jamming. James’s solos become ever more breakneck and adrenaline fuelled until Burrison comes back in with the chorus and the breathless track is brought to a frantic finish.

One encore and one track, but a lot more was going on than that makes it sound. Henry James emerged alone to blast out a preamble solo for ‘Last Light On The Highway’ that had a lot more to do with Led Zep than The Eagles. If you told me it was extracted and reconstructed from ‘Dazed and Confused’ I wouldn’t argue.

The rest of the band ambled back on stage and the song proper (technically ‘part 1’ and ‘part 2) unwound. Hearing this was a thrill. The album of the same name is probably my favourite, but this track is very different to anything else on the collection. It is a slow burner of acoustic/electric themes with poignant vocals, stacked backing vocals and dominant string arrangements. It was delivered beautifully here, stretched out and subtle. The band bringing everything it had, studded with more searing guitar from James. There were some progressive moments threaded through the track, and as a mate mentioned later, hints of UFO’s ‘Love to Love’. A stunning way to bring down the curtain.

Robert Jon & The Wreck are such a good band right now. Tonight, with Southern Rock credentials firmly embellished, they also brought a confidence and a coolness to try something new, mix up the set, and change the mood. Hallmarks of a top quality band in my book.

Review by Dave Atkinson
Photos by Andy Nathan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)