Blackberry Smoke - Bristol Review

Country music is not something that I have ever really gotten into but occasionally, especially when it is mixed with rock, I find a band that does it for me. The Eagles are probably the best example of this, but a few years I started to listen to Atlanta's Blackberry Smoke - who immediately clicked with me. For a band who's first two albums are still unreleased here in the UK (I believe), Blackberry Smoke have built up a large and loyal fanbase over here. It was in 2014 when I discovered the band, as their third album, 2012's The Whippoorwill, was finally released here. The band's mix of southern rock, blues, and country immediately grabbed me and I have been a fan of the band since. I saw the band on their Winter 2014 tour, but sadly have not been able to make any of the band's shows since. Three albums have followed on since The Whippoorwill which have gradually moved away from the heavier rock of their early work and towards a more country-dominated sound. While this means that my love for the band's studio output has diminished somewhat over time, I still enjoy listening to their albums occasionally. Despite all of this, when the band announced a good amount of UK shows for the 2018, I knew that I had to go. Despite a lot of the band's newer material not doing so much for me, the band's live shows are always great. The songs are always much tougher live, and the band always manages to whip up a great energy during their shows. The fact that they change their setlists pretty heavily each night means that you are never quite sure which songs are going to be played, and it seems that there are very few songs from their catalogue which are off limits. This is great for the fans, and it makes each show unique. I opted for the Bristol show as it was the most convenient, and the fact that the O2 Academy there is usually a very good place for concerts. Much like The Temperance Movement's show there earlier in the year, the turnout was very good. While I am not sure if the show was sold out or not, there were a lot of people packed into the venue. It is always a good sign when the balcony is opened there, and it is good to see bands like Blackberry Smoke attracting good-sized crowds.

Before the headline act however, the growing crowd were treated to two very different support acts. The first up were more appropriate for the bill, with their laid back country rock sound complimenting Blackberry Smoke's nicely. Texas' Quaker City Night Hawks only had around half an hour to play with, but they made it count with some tight, well-written songs that included lots of lovely vocal harmonies and tasteful guitar leads. While a couple of their songs were a bit rocker, with meatier riffs, most of their songs were on the mellow side with lots of big guitar chords and fluid basslines. Guitarists Sam Anderson and David Matsler shared the lead vocals, with each taking the lead on roughly the equivalent amount of tunes - but they often harmonised together to create a big sound for a four-piece. While I would have liked to hear a few more rockier moments, especially ones that would have allowed Matsler to unleash some more excellent guitar solos, the songs that were played largely impressed. They are certainly a band which I will probably check out further in the future.

The second support act Junkyard were the most in-your-face band of the night, and stuck out somewhat on a bill that was made up of country rock acts! The 1980s biker rock band played fast and furious rock songs that hit the crowd like a steamroller and certainly blew away any remaining cobwebs that might have been lingering around! Having done some research since coming home from the gig, it turns out that Junkyard were on Geffen Records during the late 1980s, but never really broke through the way that some of their peers did. The songs I have heard online since bear little resemblance to what I heard at the concert, but that may have been because the soundman's definition of a good sound mix was just to turn everything up really loud! As a result, frontman David Roach's vocals were pretty much inaudible, and Patrick Muzingo's drums basically dominated everything! Interestingly though, The Quireboys' guitarist Guy Griffin joined the band towards the end of their set for a couple of numbers. I am not quite sure why, but he added some nice bluesy solos to a couple of tracks, which made a change from the relentless energy that had come previously! Junkyard are not a band that really impressed live, but the songs I have heard online have grabbed me somewhat. There seems to be more of a punk energy about the band now compared to their early days, and that is certainly how their set came across! I will definitely explore the band further however, as their early stuff seems to be the sort of thing that I would enjoy!

It was Blackberry Smoke that everyone was here to see however, and when the lights went down at 9pm the place erupted and the band took to the stage and immediately launched into Nobody Gives a Damn from their most recent album Find a Light. As mentioned earlier, the setlist at the Bristol gig was different from those of the other shows on the UK tour and contained a good mix of material from most of their albums. As a fan of their more rockier stuff, the setlist was a good one for me, with the feel good Good One Comin' On and the tough blues rock of Waiting for the Thunder impressing early on. Considering how poor Junkyard's sound mix had been, Blackberry Smoke sounded fantastic. The guitars were nice and loud, but did not mask Charlie Starr's (vocals/guitar/percussion) voice at all. Starr is a real star of the show, and sung his heart out all night. He also handled most of the lead guitar parts in the band's songs, and really did a great job interacting with the crowd throughout the show. Another standout performer for me was keyboardist Brandon Still who filled many of the songs in the set with washings of warm Hammond organ. He is always mixed into the background on the band's albums, but live he really comes through and fills out the sound. There were a few great Hammond solos from him throughout the evening, and an extended version of Sleeping Dogs saw some of his best works. The psychedelic intro featured some strong piano work from him, and when the band segued into a snippet of The Beatles' Come Together he provided a strong atmospheric backing for Starr's vocals. The second half of the show also featured lots of highlights, and unsurprisingly it was the rockier moments that stood out for me. Shakin' Hands With the Holy Ghost got those of us down the front moving, and when Richard Turner (bass guitar/vocals) launched into the intro bass riff for Up in Smoke the crowd went wild. That is not to say that some of the slower songs did not stand out however, with the acoustic blues of Ain't Got the Blues prompting large portions of the crowd to sing along. Starr even stopped singing at one point to allow the crowd to take over, and they did so loudly. Another late highlight was a stunning rendition of One Horse Town, which is one of my favourite Blackberry Smoke ballads. Starr sung the song perfectly, while Paul Jackson (guitar/vocals) strummed out the main melodies on his acoustic guitar. Despite this slightly calm near the end, the main set ended with a bang as the raucous rock of Shake Your Magnolia proved to be a perfect closing number. There was time for a couple more of course, and the band soon came back to the stage to lay down the lumbering groove of Flesh and Bone, also from the new album, and an extended version of the upbeat Ain't Much Left of Me - which included snippets of a Quireboys song and a Lynyrd Skynyrd song for good measure! This little medley rounded out a great evening, and the crowd showed their appreciation as the band left the stage. The setlist was:

Nobody Gives a Damn
Good One Comin' On
Like I Am
Waiting for the Thunder
Crimson Moon
Rock and Roll Again
Living in the Song
Let It Burn
Sleeping Dogs/Come Together [The Beatles cover]
Shakin' Hands With the Holy Ghost
The Good Life
Up in Smoke
Run Away From It All
Ain't Got the Blues
Payback's a Bitch
One Horse Town
Shake Your Magnolia
-
Flesh and Bone
Ain't Much Left of Me/7 O'Clock [The Quireboys cover]/Mississippi Kid [Lynyrd Skynyrd cover]

Overall this was a really great show from one of the big hitters in the southern rock world at the moment. Even the songs which I have never been too keen on in their recorded format impressed, and the energy throughout the evening was very good. Blackberry Smoke are a band I will always try and see if I get the chance to.