Their sound may be the most American imaginable, but it seems Robert Jon and the Wreck have made Europe and the UK in particular their second home. At a time when many US acts are pulling out of European tours on economic grounds, by my reckoning this was their fourth tour in the two years since I first saw them, in addition to a slot at Maid of Stone festival this summer.

However on this occasion there was no London date so an away gig beckoned at Cambridge Junction, an hour away from the capital and fortunately with late trains back. That there was such a good (and generally older) turnout for a ‘provincial’ date showed how the band from Orange County, California have won the hearts of the British public.

There was a also a very good support band in Caitlin Krisko and the Broadcast, plugging a similar musical furrow of retro blues and soul influenced rock, but coming from Ashland, North Carolina with an added veneer of southern authenticity.

Opener ‘Half Asleep’ was a longish jam but ‘Blue Heron’ and the simple balladry of ‘Haunted By You’ were a lot more direct in their approach. What was most impressive was the way the three band members contrived a sense of space with sparse arrangements where it was possible to hear each of the instruments individually.

Caitlin combined a powerful soulful voice with a strong stage presence, the sleeves of her top flapping as she attacked each song with passion, combined with the manner of a southern belle with liberal use of the phrase ‘y’all’. ‘Operator’ was particularly impressive, combining both a danceable groove and a lengthy solo from guitarist Aaron Austin with notes going off at unexpected angles.

‘Led Blood’ was a lengthy blues followed by the straight ahead rock of ‘Fighting the Feeling’ which I had assumed would be the last song, but instead they played a cover of ‘Rock And Roll’ – very decently, but a point deducted for what has become an overused cliché. Nevertheless this tour made a good start for this talented band in hopefully building the same relationship with the UK as the headliners have.

Robert Jon and the Wreck opened with ‘Pain No More’, given a harder edge by some sharp slide guitar work from Henry James, before he and eponymous singer Robert Jon Burrison fashioned that wonderful sound of Allmans- esque harmony lead guitar at the outset of one of their best songs ‘Do You Remember’. Henry’s soloing was outstanding and his closing solo also enlivened ‘Hey Hey Mama’.

Although a decently appointed venue, the relatively big gap between the stage and the front of the crowd did not help build an intimate atmosphere, or allow band and crowd to feed off each other’s energy, and this dampened what should otherwise have been a highlight in ‘Tired of Drinking Alone’, while Robert’s warm, gruff tones were rather buried in the mix.

After one of their older songs ‘Blame It On The Whiskey’ they actually gave a live debut to the new single ‘Stone Cold Killer’ which had dropped that very day, which was a straight ahead heavy rocker confirming the direction their sound has been gradually evolving into.

Indeed ‘Bring Me Back Home Again’ with some fierce Hammond and slide guitar, ‘Don’t Let Me Go’, where the backing vocals rather overwhelmed Robert’s, and ‘Don’t Look Down’ were all cut from similar cloth, whereas their more soul and country rock influences were relatively less in evidence, at least in this particular set.

Although there had been relatively little banter with the crowd, after encouragement from Robert, ‘Oh Miss Carolina’ sparked crowd involvement with singing along and swaying of hands.

So far the songs had been relatively concise, but one of many similarities they share with the Black Crowes is the love of a jam, albeit rather more focused. So closer ‘Cold Night’ began with more of those Allman esque dual guitars and featured multiple long solos from Henry and another from keyboardist Jake Abernathie. Over 16 minutes it epitomised the best of the Allmans and Skynyrd with a side order of Peter Frampton’s ‘Do You Feel Like We Do’.

Just as impressive (but during a ‘mere’ 10 minutes) was the solitary encore ‘Last Light On the Highway’ in which the slow atmospherics of part 1 gave way to a sensational part 2 with a tough riff, the keyboards lending an almost orchestral feel and more than one solo of stunning speed yet melodic fluency from Henry. Not for the first time the song was giving me a vibe of the UFO classic ‘Love to Love’.

While I can never recapture the thrill of the exciting atmosphere that first time I saw them, this was another demonstration of how Robert Jon and the Wreck are one of the best bands around bar none at the moment. Long may they continue to visit these shores.

Review by Andy Nathan

Pictures by Laurence Harvey (Robert Jon and the Wreck) and Nick Hodgson (Caitlin Krisko and the Broadcast)

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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)