When Rivers Meet / Rescue Rooms / Nottingham

May 29

May 29 When Rivers Meet / Rescue Rooms / Nottingham

I first came across When Rivers Meet back in 2020 when I stumbled across Free Man when searching for some blues root rock on YouTube to watch. I was hooked right away and have 2020 debut album “We Fly Free” and their 2021 release “Saving Grace”. Suffice to say I’ve also got their much anticipated 2023 album “Aces Are High” on pre-order. It’s a band I’ve wanted to see for a while, and I wasn’t going to miss a trip down to Rescue Rooms to see them on their “Breaker of Chains” tour.

Clearly I wasn’t the only one who had been looking forward to it, with a healthy sized crowd in attendance, a film crew and four of us photographers in the pit.

Up on stage first we had US blues rock singer/songwriter Arielle. Originally from New Jersey (Misfits country!) but raised in California and Hawaii, but now residing in Nashville, picking up a guitar at 10, she’s risen to play for and with, the likes of Heart, Joan Jett, Graham Nash, Country Joe McDonald, Joe Bonamassa, Guns N’ Roses, Billy Ray Cyrus, Eric Johnson, Gregg Allman, and Cee Lo Green.

Having only released her fourth album “’73” this year this was our first chance to hear it live.

Supported by bassist Sam Tookey and drummer Emma Taylor, she walks out, dress for 1973 in Joseph technicolour-like super-flares, and puffy cuffed shirt and mustard brown velvet jacket and dives straight into the title track ’73 from the new album with it’s high tempo and fast beats a fun track about jumping in her V-dub time machine back to 1973. The guitar work is outstanding (as it is all night) and the crowd are rocking and shaking their heads along to the riffs.

The new album continues with Somewhere Slow which has a great country-rock style to it.

Then it’s back to 2018 and Voices in my Head from the “Mind Lion” EP, which has a wonderful laidback soul-like bass line running through it. This one really lets Arielle’s vocals shine and shows her range with deeper tones too.

Switching guitar and picking up the acoustic, Arielle delights us with Weakness for You again form the new album, with soft warm 70’s tones making you think of warm summer days, and the great singers of the day, Reba McEntire & Joni Mitchell etc.

For me, track of the night was the delightful The Way You Look at Me. As you’d think, it’s about the way someone that loves you looks at you, and the track is just dripping with emotion and expression. It reminds me of something and it’s annoying me what…. Argh !

Showing her versatility, she explained that Magick Again was written on her travels whilst in Ireland (2017’s “Interim” EP). You’d think you were at a Moya Brennan show… with it’s slow pace and classic Irish lilt, the vocals sore as she hits the high notes, it’s simply delightful.

As the set draws to a close Arielle performs Genie’s Outta the Bottle from 2019’s album “Suspension / Dimension”. A bright faster track, that has the crowd bouncing along to the beat. “You were looking for someone, to make your wish come true. Now the Genie’s outta the bottle, and she’s coming for you”. With some fun guitar solos in it, it’s light and fun, it’s a great final track.

Set List

’73

Somewhere Slow

Voices in My Head

Weakness For You

You Wreck Me

The Way You Look at Me

Kalypso

Magick Again

Genie’s Outta the Bottle

Wow, what a great start to the night ! The stage is set… the torch flashes from stage right and the lights dim. The crowd are ready…. But nothing happens. There’s a short delay (only a couple of minutes) as the house music comes on again and a guitar strums occasionally from the side, which I’m guessing was perhaps the cause ? But the torch pops out again and blinks to the sound desk….. and When Rivers Meet walk out to a huge round of applause.

When Rivers Meet are husband and wife combo Aaron (vocals and guitar) and Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin and violin) Formed in 2016 they released two Eps “The Uprising” (2019) and “Innocence of Youth (2020) before their debut album “We Fly Free” landed in 2020 followed up by 2021’s release “Saving Grace”. They have developed a strong and loyal following, and have won 4 UK Blues Awards ( Emerging Blues Artist of the Year; Blues Band of the Year; Blues Album of the Year; and Most Inspirational Online Performance of the Year).

The “Breaker of Chains” tour is ahead of the release of their third long play record “Aces Are High” which will be released over the summer and joining them on stage are Adam Bowers on bass and James Fox on drums.

They kick off the set with something new, with their 2023 single Play My Game. A wonderful opener, packed with fuzzy riffs and crashing cymbals, and powerful soaring vocals from Grace. It definitely sets the pace for the night ! There’s a great mix tonight, with old stuff from the first Eps, both albums, and a splash of new stuff from the upcoming “Aces Are High”.

Perhaps their best known track Did I Break the Law? Is another powerhouse of a track and showcases Aarons slide guitar skills perfectly, the audience enthusiastically joining in with the chorus as Aaron powers out some infectious riffs. The guitar part is strangely simple in a way – repetitive, but powerful, supporting Grace’s almost spoken lyrics, building and becoming more powerful as we hit the chorus, allowing her vocals to unleash as they ride over the top out over the audience like a wave. This is followed by Take Me To The River from the same album. Again some great slide work from Aaron as he sings the lead on this one with Grace supporting. Loud and strong with some great drum work from James.

Probably my favourite song of theirs comes up in the form of Bury My Body from “We Fly Free”. Grace tells us they’re going to perform a stripped down version of a song that means so much to them both and as a haunting whistle introduces the track the acoustic guitar takes centre stage as they sing together. Their harmonies are spot on, complimenting each others tone perfectly. The lyrics are incredible and so sad “I’ve been a sinner for all my life, now I’m on my way. And here I am about to pray, there are things I’ve seen that have left me blind……. I gambled my life on the wicked game, but I chose to play. My blood runs hot coursing through my veins, I won’t miss the pain”. It’s incredibly moving, and beautifully delivered.

The tour is named after the track Breaker of Chains n from “We Fly Free”. Aaron and Grace share the vocals on this one. It has a deep soulful feel to it, the bluegrass southern feel, certainly making you think of someone stuck on a Louisiana chain gang, sweating in the humid heat working on the railway.

As Aaron starts up the dirty, fuzzy slide tones of Free Man from the 2019 EP “The Uprising” Grace picks up her mandolin and asks the audience “Who wants to be a free man” holding a long note before the band kick in, with a thundering, pounding beat. It’s one that gives blues rock a heavy edge and it’s wonderful. The audience and nodding their heads and dancing along eagerly.

The set is just stonking track after stonking track and it’s not long before we get to the last track of the main set and for Lost & Found from “Saving Grace”. A cleaner sound the drums are a hit on this one for me, as they stop after the verse, leaving us hang, tantalisingly….. just for a few seconds, before they kick back in with the riffs. Arielle is back out and jams along, playing a solo section. It’s a great end to the set.

Of course, it was never going to be enough, with the crowd shouting for more, and who can blame them eh ? So of course they oblige and provide two more songs. First up is Want Your Love from the 2020 EP “Innocence of Youth”. Aaron joining in the chorus giving it some bass, the crowd are singing along too. The atmosphere is just electric as Grace plays a violin solo section.

Then it’s time to end, and what better way, than with the best track on their 2021 album “Saving Grace” Testify? And that’s what we’re here to do… testify ! The country blues-rock sound is replaced with a faster more direct rock sound and Grace leads the audience as they clap and singing along to “Testify” and the band are clearly loving it, grinning from ear to ear.

Then…. It’s all over. Grace, Aaron, Adam and James take a bow and leave the stage.

Of course we didn’t all get the tracks we all wanted (I’d love to have heard Bound for Nowhere live…. Next time) but with 21 tracks, you can’t complain !!!!

I certainly wasn’t disappointed to finally hear When Rivers Meet live. They were as good as I thought they would be. Aarons guitar playing is outstanding and Grace’s vocals soar and crash around us. I also got the additional (wonderful) surprise of hearing Arielle for the first time. An incredibly talented singer and guitarist, I look forward to seeing her again live real soon.

A brilliant night of some of the best blues rock you could possibly hear. Watch out for their next tour – you won’t want to miss it !

Set List

Play My Game

Never Coming Home

Did I Break the Law?

Take Me To The River

Shoot the Breeze

Like What You See?

Bury My Body

I Will Fight

Innocence of Youth

He’ll Drive You Crazy