The Reverend Horton Heat / The Hairy Dog / Derby
To say I’ve been looking forward to seeing The Reverend Horton Heat for some time is an understatement. Back in 2019 I booked tickets to travel down to Bristol in spring 2020 to see the Rev at The Engine Shed, in a dream show with The Delta Bombers. Then covid hit, and the show was postponed. Initially it was re-scheduled for early 2021, then finally cancelled as travel conditions continued to be an issue post covid ☹
But here we are, stuck in the ringroad traffic chaos in Derby trying to get to the Hairy Dog with a stupidly big grin on my face. Arriving, I have to say what a brilliant grass roots venue The Hairy Dog is. Old school and super friendly and some great acoustics. I’m definitely coming back again soon, and they have some great acts in town such as The Cockney Rejects, The Professionals, The Soap Girls and Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons.
Great to catch up too with the brilliant Paul Mason, a well known artist and promoter on the Psychobilly scene, with a stall of his “Skinner’s Artwork”. Usually I walk out of a gig with some vinyl. Not tonight though, I walk out with an original piece of artwork under my arm lol. Check out his amazing work at @Gorerockinart
A quick drink and it’s time for tonights opening act, The Zipheads to hit the stage. A three piece rockabilly/psychobilly band from St Albans. Apparently back in 2005 they originally formed as a punk band influenced by the likes of The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and the Descendents but over time found their way with 50’s Rock’n’Roll and Rockabilly. They released their debut album “Prehistoric Beat” in 2013 which was followed up by “Z2:Rampage” in 2016. Their latest single “Telekinesis” came out in 2022.
Their style is unique, blending those early punk roots with the sounds of the 50’s creating a form of rock’n roll that infuses punk, SKA, surf, soul and at times reggae beats and influence.
And boy can they play ! Slick, tight and entertaining, the boys have a great repour with the crowd throughout the 40 minute set. The mix of styles is wonderful and I loved the SKA/reggae beats ion some of the tracks. I recognised a number of tracks from “Prehistoric Beats” including MI:5 and 5446. Some great energy it was a fantastic opening to the night.
The Hairy Dog is crammed now, reflecting the popularity of The Reverend Horton Heat here in the UK.
Jim “Reverend Horton” Heath hails from Texas and is a singer, songwriter and Gretsch guitar ambassador. Rooted in rock ‘n roll he’s seen as the godfather of modern rockabilly and psychobilly.
Touring with his long time buddy Jimbo Wallace on standing bass, and Jonathan Jetter on drums. Mixing that 50’s sound with other influences and styles such as surf, big band, swing, rockabilly and even metal and punk, The Reverend creates a unique sound that has seen him gain mainstream recognition through it’s sue in adverts computer games and commercials.
The trio open the set with Big Sky an instrumental from 1994’s album “Liquor in the Front” with its lively Gretsch guitar work. As you’d expect from a Gretsch, the tones are bright and crisp and clear with the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece giving it a western feel. Its classic Reverend Horton Heat and sets the tone perfectly, as it leads effortlessly into Baddest of the Bad (from the same album) which has a thumping fast drum beat which pounds at the eardrums at the front, with Jimbo picking fast and furious on the bass.
As well as an incredible guitarist, Jim is also an entertainer, and the show is as much a chat with, as it is a concert, and he tells us tales to introduce each track.
The set is filled with wall to wall classics and the crowd go wild, for probably his signature tune Psychobilly Freakout from 1991’s “Smoke ‘em if You Got ‘em”. If you ever check out a Psychobilly playlist on Spotify, you can almost guarantee the frantic, frenzies sound of this one will be on there. Crazy, raucous and fun it perfectly sums up, what I believe is a much underrated genre.
Jim introduces the other band members with the incredibly talented Jonathan Jetter on drums, and his friend of over 32 years Jimbo Wallace on standing bass, which takes us into the Jimbo Song which the fans adore and join in with the chorus chants “Slap bass bones, rockabilly ultra cool J-I-M-B-O”.
Other highlights for me included Martini Time from 1996’s “It’s Martini Time” LP which has a fun and intricate guitar lick to it, and blends in the influence of jazz and Vegas showtime. It’s back to 1993 and “The Full Custom Gospel Sounds Of..” for 400 Bucks a tale of giving his girl 400 bucks to buy a car, and it got spent…. On anything but a car. Fast and furious, it shows his punk influences so well. Sticking with the car theme we get an incredible rendition of Galaxy 500 where his finger picking skills are clearly on show, about splitting up and he gets the rough end of the stick on everything except he keeps the Galaxy 500 ! Jimbo’s bass playing here is just incredible as you watch his hands wave across the strings creating mesmerising beats.
As the set comes to an end, there is only one song we can end on, as Jim tells the tale of when he played with Lenny Kilmister and we dive into Ace of Spades. I’ve loved this one for a long time, and Jim’s version is incredible. Its fast, raw and energetic. It’s a perfect demonstration of how songs can cross genres and yet still sound as awesome in other styles.
I still want to see The Delta Bombers, but boy was it worth the wait to see The Reverend Horton Heat. The Zipheads are fantastic too, and were the perfect set up for Jim Heath. The whole night was fun, entertaining, and staggeringly great music. Absolutely amazing, the whole band was so gracious, taking the time to talk to, shake hands and take pictures with the fans.
If you haven't seen him, be sure to go next time he's here!
