Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons / Rescue Rooms / Nottingham
What a brilliant night this was. We had two fantastic, and very varied support bands to set the scene, in The Outlaw Orchestra and Florence Black. More on both later, but they really set the scene perfectly and fully played their part in an entertaining night of loud, heavy rock.
But we were here to see Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, who took to the stage in Nottingham full of swagger at 20:35. For those who didn’t know Phil was for years a guitarist in Motörhead, and the drummer, bassist and lead guitarist in The Bastard Sons…..are his boys - Dane, Tyla and Todd Campbell – now the band name makes sense! They are joined by new recruit, vocalist Joel Peters.
I love shows like this. I mean let’s face it Phil is a British metal icon, and it’s great to see him perform in a small, intimate venue, one at the heart of grass roots music in Nottingham. Indeed, this is the first time I’ve seen Phil perform live, Motörhead are one of those bands I always, always regret not seeing when I had the chance years ago :-(
The Bastard Sons are all incredibly talented musicians, and they play a loud, hard-hitting metal with a great blues tone to it. Opening up with We’re The Bastards, the guitars are just what the crowd want, loud and full of energy underpinned by incredibly powerful drumming.
Joel is a great addition to the lineup, a talented singer, but also a great frontman and has the crowd at his command, especially when he starts singing Rock Out.
As the set progresses, we have a wonderful mix of their own material, with the obvious nod to the mighty Motörhead with a few classics throw in along the way. For me, the highlight tracks were Born to Raise Hell, and Get on Your Knees which the audience eagerly sang along to.
Then it’s into These Old Boots and then…….. a stunning version of the classic Ace of Spades. This was a real treat, and made me regret even more never seeing Motörhead !!!
Then, we turn the clock back even further to one of my favourite tracks of all time, and a superb version of the classic Hawkwind track Silver Machine. This song was a real influence in my formative music years and a joy to hear live now.
As the show draws to a close we get Dark Days, followed by Big Mouth and then the final track Killed by Death. The crowd are absolutely buzzing. It’s been an incredible night, with three really strong bands, and a headline set that raised the roof on the venue.
Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons continue their tour around the UK and Europe over the coming months. Catch them if you can. It’s well worth it.
Set List
We’re the Bastards
Bite My Tongue
Rock Out
Spiders
Son of a Gun
Born to Raise Hell
High Rule
Get on your Knees
These Old Boots
Ace of Spades
Silver Machine
Ringleader
Going to Brazil
Dark Days
Big Mouth
Killed By Death
First up on stage we had The Outlaw Orchestra. With a set start time of 18:50 the crowd was smaller, but if you turned up late, boy did you miss a treat ! This was my first time seeing the Outlaws live. Here at LiveWire we have reviewed their first two albums “Pantomine Villians” released in May 2020 (awarded 10/10) and “Makin’ Tracks” release a few weeks ago and maintaining their high standards with a 9/10.
The Outlaw Orchestra are David Roux (Guitar & Lead Vocals), Pete Briley (Banjo, Lapsteel, Pedalsteel Bass, Guitar, Synth & Vocals) and Ryan Smith (Drums, Percussion & Vocals) and they play a wonderful mix of rock, mixed with southern bluegrass and a dash of country.
The guys were in awesome form, with Ryan laying down some great loud rock steady rhythms as a solid foundation for vocalist/guitarist Dave Roux and the multi-talented Pete Briley to build to. Dave is quite the character, talking to the crowd between every track, telling us his tales of life on the road (which he swears are all true lol) setting the scene for each track. It’s a formula that works brilliantly, with all three relaxed and perfectly at home on stage. Special mention to Pete, who rotates between banjo, then lapsteel and pedalsteel effortlessly adding a wonderful tonal depth to their sound.
For me, the highlights of the set included Send Some Whiskey Home (from their debut LP “Pantomine Villains”), Back to Georgia (from their 2018 debut EP “The Devil Made Me Do It”, and the final crowd pleasing number Done My Time (from their latest LP “Makin’ Tracks”).
I love these guys anyway, but live they really are something else. A wonderful deep south country, blues rock tone which is so infectious. One to look out for and a live act not to miss……. You will not be disappointed.
Set List
Line the Track
See You in Hell
Back to Georgia
Send Some Whiskey Home
Blame the Horse
Done My Time
Tonight I was sharing the photo pit tonight with a good friend Manny, and he asked if I had heard Florence Black before. When I said no, his eyes lit up and he told me I was in for a real treat…. I hope they play their cover of Budgie’s Breadfan he told me, because it’s simply stunning. I couldn’t wait to see what was coming next !
Florence Black come from the Welsh Valleys and released their debut album “Weight of the World” in 2021. These guys are heavy hitters and produce a raw powerful sound the kind of thing you’d expect from the rugged Valleys !
As the set starts, vocalist and guitarist Tristan Thomas raises his arm high before driving headlong into the crunching riffs and gravelly vocals, backed up by Jordan ‘Foz’ Evans on bass. Perry Davies is on drums and gives a full blooded powerful performance, not missing a beat all night.
The pace of the set is just relentless from first moment to last. What is fantastic about Florence Black, is that although its real heavy and loud, it’s not just live ‘noise’. There is a skilful side to it, and each musical element can be heard and followed, and their sound is well structured.
Talking with some of the audience Florence Black are well known for their festival appearances at Steelhouse and Rockin’ The Bowl. The Deep End is an absolute belter…… it’s a frantic, furious, frenetic, thrash headbanger, just what we love !
As the set draws to a close, we get another fantastic track, new to me in Smoke. This one has a real heavy feel to it, a bit like Clutch. Then we get to the last track, and oh yes….. it’s their re-working of Budgie’s Breadfan, from their 2018 debut EP “The Final”. Manny was so right, it is incredible and has the crowd bouncing along. And all too soon it’s over. A real shame. I’m certainly going to be checking out more of Florence Black and can’t wait to see them live again.
Set List
The Deep End
Pierrepoint
Down
Sun & Moon
Smoke
Breadfan
