Kris Barras Band - Tavistock Review

Following a rather fraught journey home from London this past Saturday, which culminated in me getting home around three hours late thanks to the railway between Plymouth and Totnes being closed due an incident, I only had around half an hour to sort myself out before dashing out again. Despite being very late home, my trip to London had been worth it - due to an excellent performance from Young Gun Silver Fox at the Lafayette near King's Cross station. This past weekend was a two gig affair, though, and I was soon on the road again - but this time I made the relatively short trip north of Plymouth, to the Dartmoor town of Tavistock and to the ever-reliable Wharf. I would think that The Wharf is the venue which I have visited the most over the years, and it is certainly somewhere that punches above its weight for both its size and location. A good night is pretty much guaranteed there, and one was had this past Saturday - when I made my first trip of hopefully many to the venue in 2023. The occasion was the opening night of the Kris Barras Band's latest UK tour - which is extensive and covers pretty much every inch of the country - and a night with Barras and his band is always guaranteed to be a memorable one. Despite him being fairly local (he is from Torquay), I only started listening to his work properly a couple of years ago - and become a 'proper' fan after seeing him open for Black Stone Cherry in Exeter. I returned to Exeter to see him again last March, when he kicked off last year's extensive UK tour with a memorable couple of nights at The Phoenix. He seems to like to launch his tours with fairly local shows, and his fans can always be relied upon to turn out in force. Barras is pretty popular across the UK nowadays, but he probably remains the most popular in the South West - so much sh that Saturday's show at The Wharf sold out quite far in advance. Despite having seen both Uriah Heep and Yes pack out The Wharf, I am not sure that I have been to something at the venue that was officially sold out. This is a testament to both Barras' ever-growing popularity as well as his hardcore fanbase here in the South West - and I knew that the show would be another special one as a result. Prior to Saturday I had seen Barras and his band three times, as I also saw him opening for Thunder in London last year, but I think as far as energy and atmosphere goes this most recent outing was the most powerful yet. There are perhaps a couple of reasons for this but the sold out Tavistock crowd certainly played their part. Unusually for The Wharf, too, there was a support act - so after squeezing into the local Wetherspoons, which was extremely busy and packed full of people wearing rock shirts, for a burger I took my place to enjoy the powerful evening of music that followed.

Before Barras' powerful set, the crowd was treated to a hard-hitting set from the bluesy hard rock band Kira Mac - who impressed throughout their 40 or so minute set. Fronted by the charismatic Rhiannon Hill, Kira Mac do not play a brand of hard rock which is particularly original - but the great riffs of Joe Worrall (guitar/vocals) and Alex Novakovic (guitar/vocals) ensured that the band sounded tight and powerful throughout, whilst Hill herself impressed with some extremely soulful vocals. They were a band that I warmed to quite a bit as their set went on too as, at first, I was not that taken with them. Lots of modern hard rock bands follow the same formula for me, but as the set progressed it was clear that Kira Mac were not just sticking to the script. Nothing significantly broke the mould, but the band seemed to have more in the tank than some of their peers - and in Hill they have a commanding presence up front, with a powerful voice to match. Her voice is somewhat lower in register than is perhaps typical, but this allowed her to inject a lot of soul and blues touches into the songs - and allowed the riffing to be on the heavier side. There was little coming up for air during the band's set, either, as pretty much every song played was heavy and hard-driving. They all tended to have a hooky chorus, too, with tracks like Hell Fire and Holy Water and Hit Me Again standing out due to their melodic nature. It was not just Hill that impressed, either, as both Worrall and Novakovic soloed throughout - and there was plenty of kick and groove from the rhythm section, too, particularly during the southern rock-influenced Mississippi Swinging. This track was possibly my favourite of all of the songs that the band played, and it showcased something a little bit different riff and groove-wise - demonstrating that the band are not just about the meat and potatoes of modern hard rock. The set-ending One Way Ticket was another winner, too, and by the time it came to an end I was pretty much onboard with what Kira Mac were doing. They mentioned during the set that they could be coming back to The Wharf later in the year, and on the strength of their set on Saturday I would be keen to see them again. They seemed to sell quite a lot of merch after their set, too, which is good to see - showing that they won over quite a few in the crowd.

Despite Kira Mac's strong showing, it was the Kris Barras Band that everyone was there to see. 20 or so minutes following Kira Mac's set, the lights went down and Barras' band took to the stage and started playing around with a riff - during which Barras joined them and started soloing. As was the case on last year's tour, this opening jam proved to be an extended intro to the fan-favourite Hail Mary - one of Barras' signature tunes which has become a live staple over the years. Whilst it has traditionally been his closing cut, I think the song works well as an opener - as the big chorus gets everyone going from the off, and there was lots of singing from the crowd during the hard-hitting blues rock piece. As was also the case last year, the band then transitioned into the heavy Dead Horses - which was one of eight songs from last year's excellent Death Valley Paradise to feature. Despite opening in a similar manner, the set was quite different from last year's tour. Clearly buoyed by the success of his latest album, Barras chose to feature more of it this time - and generally focus on the heavier side of his output. Dead Horses certainly set the tone, and the chiming and slightly more cinematic These Voices then provided a more expansive sound - but still plenty of singing. Barras then explained that many of the older songs in the set had been toughened up somewhat to fit in with the vibe of the latest album, and this was demonstrated by a hard-hitting rendition of Heart on Your Sleeve - with tougher riffing replacing the bluesier edge of the original. It also showcased the tightness of the current incarnation of the Kris Barras Band - which was impressive given that it was new bassist Frazer Kerslake's first show with the band, joining Josiah Manning (guitar/vocals) and Billy Hammett (drums). No less than four newer songs then followed, with the quieter Wake Me When It's Over opening with some gentle soloing from Barras, whilst the barrelling Hostage and Chaos perfectly showcased Barras' recent direction. Devil You Know then saw Barras abandoning his guitar and taking a ride on the shoulders of someone to do a tour of the crowd - whilst Manning got a chance to shine with a shredded solo of his own. The final moment of respite then came in the form of the poignant Watching Over Me, dedicated to Barras' late father, which soared as it always does. Whilst Barras generally shredded throughout the other songs, this was a moment that allowed him to pair it back somewhat and go for something more bluesy - which gave the crowd a little break before the final few numbers. A cover of Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll, which also included part of Kansas' Carry On Wayward Son, was then used as a vehicle for soloing - with both Manning and Kerslake soloing aplenty throughout. In truth I would have preferred another of Barras' own songs, but it was a fun cover, and it set the stage for the closing one-two punch of Who Needs Enemies and the rousing My Parade - which featured the most singing of the night, and Barras once again in the crowd to conduct the sing-a-long. My Parade brought the main set to a close, but there was time for one more - and a hard-hitting rendition of the older Ignite (Light It Up) allowed everyone one last chance to rock before the band took their bows. The setlist was:

Hail Mary

Dead Horses

These Voices

Heart on Your Sleeve

Wake Me When It's Over

Hostage

Chaos

Devil You Know

Watching Over Me

Rock and Roll [Led Zeppelin cover]/Carry On Wayward Son [Kansas cover]

Who Needs Enemies

My Parade

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Ignite (Light It Up)

As I said previously, a night with the Kris Barras Band is always a memorable one - and Saturday in Tavistock was no different. After the success of his last tour, I imagine that this current, lengthy one will also be a big success. It is great seeing someone from the South West really making it here in the UK, and I can only see him getting bigger if his current trajectory continues. I came away from the show with a new t-shirt, too, which is always good - and I am already looking forward to when I will next be able to see him and his band live again.