Robert Jon & The Wreck - London Review

Despite the large number of bands that I follow, I am always on the hunt for new music. I experiment a lot and like to try new things - but not every new band that I listen to sticks. One that really stuck last year, though, were the American southern rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck. I had heard of the band before I decided to check them out, largely due to their former keyboard player Steve Maggiora's association with Toto, but when they announced a fairly local show to me last year I decided to give them a proper listen - and I have not looked back. In the lead up to that show in Exeter I picked up all of the band's albums, bar their seemingly hard to find debut, and have become a big fan of the five-piece. They are a band that have improved as they have gone along in my opinion, with their newer albums being better than their older ones, and they seem to be one of the hardest working bands in the business. They seem to be on tour almost constantly - and their energy for playing live is only matched by their songwriting expediency. They released an album last year and released another one earlier this year - and they have just released an expanded version of that latest album with even more songs, as well as yet another new song which was not part of that album's sessions. Modern bands just do not have that sort of work ethic, with Robert Jon & The Wreck certainly harking back to the 1970s when an album a year was the norm for a band wanting to stay relevant. Given how relentlessly the band tour, too, I had a feeling that I would not need to wait long following last year's Exeter show to see them live again - and a few months later their 2024 UK tour was announced. Sadly there was no local show this time, but Robert Jon & The Wreck have already become one of those bands I will make the effort to see whenever I can - so I decided to head up to London to catch them in the relatively posh confines of the Islington Assembly Hall. Looking at the band's concert history, it looks as if their London venue of choice up to now had been the nearby Garage - so graduating to the much nicer Islington Assembly Hall showcases their continual trajectory. I like going to the Islington Assembly Hall, but sadly it is not somewhere that I have been very often. I think my last visit came back in 2018 when I saw Fish there - so it had been six years between gigs there. I opted to sit in the balcony this time, too, which I had not done before. The balcony is not large but it afforded a good view of the stage - and it was probably about three-quarters full throughout the night. I did not have a good view of the crowd from the balcony, but I would imagine that the turnout was pretty good - and there was a good atmosphere from the off thanks to the band's carefree attitude and hooky, heartfelt music.

Before Robert Jon & The Wreck's set, though, the growing crowd were treated to 30 or so minutes from These Wicked Rivers - a Derby-based five-piece who play a brand of bluesy rock with hints of southern rock and roots rock in the vein of bands like Credence Clearwater Revival. Despite having a very strong look, though, as well as a stage set which was decorated with lamps and ephemera which looked like it had come out of a saloon, I never really felt that I got a handle on the band's true vibe during their set. A rather muddy sound mix did not help, as the vocals were extremely buried in the mix, but nothing really jumped out at me during their time on stage. I generally feel that European bands that try to create a swampy, southern sound rarely pull it off convincingly - and I think that was partly my issue with These Wicked Rivers. They clearly knew what sort of band they wanted to be from the off, down to the aesthetic, but without any of the grounding that makes those sort of bands sound natural. It is very much a sound which only really American bands can truly pull off in my opinion - although it was hard to judge due to the aforementioned sound issues. The soulful vocals which are always such a big part of the sort of music they play just were not apparent due to the singer being so low in the mix, and the punch of the drums was much too modern to allow a genuine swagger to be conjured up. There was some strong organ playing at times, as well as a few fluid guitar solos, but nothing ever really fell into place for me. The set was really short, too. I said that it was around 30 minutes but I think, in reality, it was less. I am not sure if there had been some issues as it had said online that they would go on at 7:30pm and it was not until after 7:45pm that they actually started their set - and it was just before 8:15pm that they finished. It all seemed a bit rushed and, whilst they received a warm reception, I am not sure that the crowd ever really warmed up to These Wicked Rivers in a big way. Whilst I cannot say that the band really did anything for me, I would like to see them with a better sound mix to see if there is anything there - but at this stage I am not sure Derby's answer to the deep south are likely for me.

There was around 30 minutes between the two sets, so everyone was ready when Robert Jon Burrison (vocals/guitar) and his band sauntered onto the stage with no fanfare and got their 1 hour 45 minute set underway with Hold On. Robert Jon & The Wreck are the sort of band that change the setlist night after night - so it is never clear exactly what songs are going to be played. As such I had gone in open-minded, and the setlist turned out to be a great one - with lots of new songs as well as a handful of older favourites. Only five of the songs played were also played at last year's Exeter show, so there was lots of variety when comparing the two sets - and tracks from latest album Red Moon Rising (which I reviewed here) dominated. Hold On got the set underway in a laid back manner, but it was followed by two barnstorming hard rockers in Rager and Boss Man - the latter of which only available on the new deluxe version of the album. These two riffy rockers really got the show going, and highlighted just how great a guitar player Henry James Schneekluth is. Whilst Burrison is a great singer and songwriter, there is no doubt that Schneekluth is the star of any Robert Jon & The Wreck show. He is one of the best guitarists in the southern rock world currently in my opinion - and these heavier tracks showcased his riffing skills. As was the case during These Wicked Rivers' set, the sound was a little muddy at first - but thankfully it improved quite considerably after the first few songs. Burrison was a little buried in the mix at first, but everything levelled itself out as things moved along - with Jake Abernathie (keyboards/vocals) also given plenty of space in the mix to rumble his organ. This was evident during the slightly more atmospheric and bluesy Red Moon Rising, which showcased some Allman-esque moments, before a harder rocking sound was returned to for the barrelling and barroom groove of Waiting for Your Man. The first half of the show was all pretty much newer material, then, with the brand new Point of View bringing this suite to a close.

The second part of the show was generally older favourites - with the slide-led  and upbeat Shine a Light on Me Brother seeing London-based guitarist Joe Coombes joining the band for some scintillating guitar duelling with Schneekluth. A short solo from Andrew Espantman (drums/vocals) led into the bluesy stomp of Don't Let Me Go - whilst the only real ballad of the night Gold was played following a request. I am not sure that Robert Jon & The Wreck have an anthem, but if they do then Oh Miss Carolina likely is it - and the sing-a-long country rocker was sung loudly by the crowd back at the band. There was time for one more new song, which was a stunning rendition of personal favourite Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man, but the real centrepiece of the night was the band's trademark lengthy rendition of oldie Cold Night - which really brought the house down. It brought the main set to a close, and it was the song which really showcased the band's talents - particularly Schneekluth and Abernathie. The former had many solos throughout, but the highlight was the interplay between the two musicians which culminated in fast-paced unison runs in almost prog rock fashion - before the song came to a close and the band walked off the stage. Given that the band do often end with Cold Night and Burrison had done a lengthy Thanksgiving speech beforehand - I had wondered if they were dispensing with the encore tradition as they had already played a pretty lengthy set. They did come out for one more, though, which was the two-part Last Light on the Highway. I was not expecting to hear the song live and it is one of my favourites, so I was very pleased that the band played it - from its delicate intro through all of its bombastic soloing and hard rocking bulk. It was a great way to end a powerful night of live music and it will live long in the memory of those who were there. The setlist was:

Hold On

Rager

Boss Man

Red Moon Rising

Waiting for Your Man

Point of View

Shine a Light on Me Brother [w/ Joe Coombes]

Drum solo

Don't Let Me Go

Gold
Oh Miss Carolina

Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man

Cold Night

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Last Light on the Highway - Part 1

Last Light on the Highway - Part 2

With their London performance, Robert Jon & The Wreck showcased why they should be considered one of the best southern rock bands around at the moment. Burrison is a fantastic singer, songwriter, and focal point for the band - whilst Schneekluth is a dynamite guitarist in the vein all of the very best southern rock and blues players that came before him. The band are tight, too, and always deliver live - mixing up the set night after night to keep things fresh. I am sure that I will see the band live again in the future - and I am always looking forward to next time.