Almost exactly 9 years ago I dragged myself along to The Garage in Glasgow to say farewell to The Blackout as they became another victim of the corporate music machine. That night was all the more bittersweet as it served as a reminder of just how damned entertaining the band were, they partied hard and ensured that everyone partied with them.

Fast forward to last year, and the announcement for the 2023 Download festival line up. The eagle eyed soon picked up on the fact that The Blackout were back and on the bill. The set went down a storm by all accounts and left fans wanting more. Based on that reaction, the guys decided to hit the road for a few dates for old time’s sake and the lure of another top night with the Welsh wonders was too much for me to resist.

There were two supports along for the ride, however I missed the first due to other commitments, I did make it in time to catch Dead Pony though. The band hail from Glasgow, so this was a hometown show which should have given them a head start with the crowd, however the crowd reaction was very muted with only a few cheers and some polite applause between songs.

Reading a bit about them for this review it’s clear that they have gained industry plaudits and have some high profile support shows both under their belt and upcoming throughout 2024. With this in mind I would have expected a better crowd reaction, but it didn’t materialise. Some of this may be down to the lack of interaction they had with the crowd, these are your people folks, at least talk to them! Hopefully they will watch and learn on this tour as The Blackout have always mastered in crowd interaction and were about to give another masterclass…

A sad fact of life that I have learned all too well is that the older you get, the more bits start falling off and you start having aches and pains where once you were young and up for anything. Unfortunately, The Blackout frontman Gavin Butler forgot this point and on their first gig the previous night in Manchester and he knackered his Achillies tendon on the second last song! Instead of cancelling the tour and resting up, the decision was taken to carry on with an impaired Gavin scooting about the stage in an office chair, not quite what he had in mind, I am sure.

However, it mattered not and as the guys kicked off with ‘ShutTheFuckUppercut’ it soon became clear that the other half of the dynamic vocal duo, Sean Smith, was going to do enough running around for two. The hall wasn’t sold out tonight, but can’t have been far off, and the crowd partied like the intervening 9 years never happened. Well, that’s not quite true, The Blackout fans are now that bit older and no doubt a number had to rely on babysitters to get them out of the house, so the party was a bit more subdued, but still as much fun!

With this being a short reunion tour, you would expect the band to take the easy route with the setlist, play the crowd pleasers, take the applause, job done. However, there were some surprises thrown into the mix tonight. The set also differed from the first night’s offerings proving that the tour rehearsals had been comprehensive. ‘Ambition Is Critical’ and ‘Save Our Selves (The Warning) were greeted with huge cheers and bouncing bodies.

The thing that always set The Blackout apart from their peers back in the day was the high level of musicianship within their ranks. Yeah, they may play it for laughs on stage, but they take their music seriously and are all very capable. None more so than lead guitarist Jim ‘Bob’ Davies who is a one-man whirlwind and played up a storm all evening.

The set and the banter rolled on with fan favourites such as ‘Top Of The World’, ‘Wolves’ and the ever subtle ‘I’m A Riot? You’re a F**king Riot’ ensuring that things are kept at fever pitch. Gavin was a bit subdued which was understandable given his injury, but Sean took every opportunity to wind up the crowd with comments on Radiohead’s Thom York and an interesting chant regarding the current Tory government which left no one in any doubt of the band’s political leanings!

The guys kept a few big hitters for the tail end of the set with ‘Hope’ and ‘Children Of The Night’ turning into mass singalongs. Being on a tight curfew, there was no time for disappearing off stage to be called back for encores, so Sean announced two further songs and it was heads down, here we go!

The one-two of ‘The Storm’ and ‘Higher And Higher’ brought the set to riotous climax and the band struck the last chord dead on curfew time at 2230, impressive timing!

Tonight, we were reminded of how good The Blackout were and how much they have been missed in the interim period. Will there be more gigs beyond this tour? That is yet to be seen, but given the crowd reaction tonight, and on the other dates by all accounts, it would be a shame if that was it.

However, most were just glad to have the opportunity to rock with the guys one more time. Still The Best In Town? You bet!

Review and Pictures by Dave Wilson

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 14 April

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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 7 April 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)

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