The Wildhearts - Torquay Review

Over the last couple of years, it seems that the Devon coastal town of Torquay has been making an effort to become one of the South West's premier live music destinations. Bristol has been the only South Western city which has regularly hosted numerous bands of note for many years, and in truth it does not feel like a true part of the South West, with other cities like Exeter and Plymouth, particularly the latter, lagging behind. Torquay was never even a part of the conversation, though, but that has changed in a big way of late - and things only seem to be going one way. Modern southern rock legends Black Stone Cherry have recently announced a gig in the town for next year - and I also have tickets to see both Michael Monroe and Buckcherry there in March. Earlier in the year I caught Cradle of Filth live for the first time in Torquay, too, and there have been other named acts that I did not go and see - including the likes of The Dead Daisies and Skindred. The reason for this uptick in activity is the presence of both The Foundry and the Arena Torquay - two complimentary venues of differing vibes very close to each other. Crucially, the venues are the right size, too. Both can accommodate anything from a few hundred up to around a thousand - but the two venues offer different vibes. Plymouth has always suffered by not having a venue of such a size for many years - and now that Torquay have two, alongside some very active promoters, it is no surprise that bands are going there. Given that the roads to Torquay are not always the best, it just goes to show that having the right combination of venue and promoter means that such things do not matter so much - and it is great that more bands are coming to the South West as a result. The reason for my latest visit to Torquay, on Sunday night, was the cult UK rockers The Wildhearts. I had only been back at home for a few hours following getting home from Nottingham before it was time to get on the road again - and following a stop over in the town's Wetherspoons it was time to head up to the Arena Torquay for the first time. I have been a fan of The Wildhearts for a number of years, but Sunday night was only my third time seeing them live. I cannot remember exactly when I first started listening to the band, but I became a proper fan after seeing them live at the 2019 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air when they were a late replacement for another band that dropped out. Despite this, the band put on a barnstorming show to a crowd that generally wanted heavier music - and I started to take them much more seriously as a result. Sadly, my second Wildhearts live experience was much less positive. I saw the band again in Exeter in 2021, not too long after the lockdowns came to an end - and it was a bit of a car crash of a show. The Wildhearts have been famously volatile over the years - and it is clear that what has become seen as the classic line-up just cannot function together. It seemed to be working in 2019 but when 2021 rolled around it clearly was not - and frontman Ginger Wildheart, who publicly struggles with this mental health, clearly did not want to be there. It was an unpleasant experience as a result, then, as he was genuinely very angry at times - and the band's days were clearly numbered. Thankfully, though, the Ginger of 2025 seems to be in a much better place. Help was sought at some point in the interim - and he slowly put together a new version of The Wildhearts whilst recording Satanic Rites of the Wildhearts (which I reviewed here) which dropped earlier in the year. I liked the album a lot, and the shows earlier in the year received good reviews, so when a local show was announced a few months ago I knew I had to give Ginger another chance.

I was quite impressed with the Arena Torquay. The Foundry is more of a typical venue, and feels larger, with a balcony, whereas the Arena Torquay feels smaller - but had a good bar area, toilets, and the stage seemed quite wide which suited the overall space. The band attracted a pretty healthy crowd, too, especially for a Sunday night. The place was not full, but there were plenty of people around - and there was a good atmosphere as a result. It was that nice balance of feeling full but still having room to move around and breathe - which is always welcome. Before The Wildhearts' set, though, there were two support acts to get through. Up first, from Bristol, were Mother Vulture - who I had also seen in 2021 at an open-air show down near Truro which was headlined by Orange Goblin. I do not remember much of the band's set from four years ago, aside from them being a bit quirky, but they are a name that I keep seeing around - so they are clearly starting to rise somewhat through the ranks. Whilst I did not come away from the show a fan of the band, I certainly did not dislike their 30 or so minutes on stage. This is because Mother Vulture really do not sound like anyone else - so their originality stands out. It is hard to describe their sound, but they mix punk with a 1960s garage rock feel - alongside some psychedelic and even hardcore influences. There were moments in the band's set which were quite heavy, with almost metallic riffing and harsh vocals from enigmatic frontman Georgi Valentine, whereas other moments felt a bit more grounded and older in vibe - with high-pitched clean vocals and a progressive vibe. Despite only consisting of guitar, bass, and drums, there was a lot going on due to the various riffs and layers present. The bass was often doing something different to the guitar and this helped the band's songs to sound complex. As a result of this, alongside the large suite of influences mentioned previously, the band's songs were all over the place in terms of style - meaning that what was about to come next was always a surprise. Whilst this meant that the overall vibe of the set was a bit chaotic at times, and it was hard to keep track of what was going on, it did mean that the band's 30 minutes flew by - and there were clearly a few fans in attendance which made for a bit of an atmosphere. The Wildhearts' music can be quite varied - so having another genre-bending band on the bill helped to compliment the night's overall vibe.

A short while later and the evening's second support act Meryl Streek took to the stage - and it was unlike anything I had ever seen live before. Backed only by a drummer, who was not namechecked and was essentially ignored by Streek all set, Streek was something of a performance/punk poet - but much more aggressive than average. There was a musical backing besides the drumming, which largely was punky guitar/bass grooves, but the focus was clearly on the lyrics and Streek's intense delivery of them. At times he almost rapped, his poetry quite rhythmic, but generally his delivery was much punkier and shoutier. Unsurprisingly, Streek's material was very political - and from that quite nihilistic school which punk often operates from. Streek's material was uncompromising, angry, and lacking in any kind of nuance. In some ways, I understand. There is a lot to be angry about in the world - but I personally have never subscribed to such a way of looking at things. As such, I could not always connect with what Streek was saying, at least with the venom with which it was presented, but I could not help but be captivated by his set. In a way, he made sure this was the case. Clearly knowing that what he was doing would be divisive, something which he openly admitted, he just made sure people paid attention. He ended up spending quite a bit of time on the floor of the venue rather than the stage - prowling around looking deranged (it looked like he had some strange contact lenses in) and getting in people's faces. I am not sure that everyone appreciated this - and, like me, I imagine that quite a few were unsure what to make of his set. Furious, politically-charged rant/raps, even to a Wildhearts crowd, might be a bit of a hard sell - but he certainly generated a bit of a reaction, even if some of that was potentially to alleviate being picked out for the next prowl! I cannot say that I enjoyed Streek's set, but it will certainly live long in the memory - which, I guess, is the point.

The stage was cleared quite quickly following Streek's set, so by the time I had visited the facilities and bought a t-shirt it felt like it was time for The Wildhearts. For this tour, Ginger had planned a two-hour set, but the addition of a third band on some of the bills without his knowledge meant that some shows only had time for a more traditional 90 minute set. Given Mother Vulture's inclusion, the Torquay crowd did not get the full experience - but that did not seem to matter as the band was fired up and ready to go. I had wondered if this inconvenience would sour the overall mood - but it did not. Ginger was up for the show from the off - and he seemed to be having a great time, talking to the crowd in his usual dry manner, cracking jokes, and seeming happy with the venue as a whole. The rest of the band, of which only Jon Poole (bass guitar/vocals) has any kind of real history with the band, were all great - and they straddled that line of tight/chaotic which has always made The Wildhearts tick. They kicked off with the lengthy Failure Is the Mother of Success from the latest album - with the riffy piece getting the set off to a fine start. The setlist chosen was not particularly casual friendly, with many live staples absent. This did not bother me, though, as I was ready to hear something different - and plenty of die-hards in the crowd likely enjoyed the deeper cuts being wheeled out. It was fairly forward-looking, too, with songs from more recent albums making up the bulk of the set - whilst a brand new cut in Spider Beach, from the band's next album, was played later on. There were a handful of older favourites, though, with the sing-a-long Nothing Ever Changes but the Shoes going right back to the band's early EPs - and the long in the tooth fans certainly lapped it all up. Sleepaway from the band's last-but-one album and the rarely-played Vernix were deeper cuts thrown at the crowd early on - but each song was greeted warmly, and Ginger seemed to be enjoying the overall vibe. The hookier Mazel Tov Cocktail had the whole room singing again, though, and the vibe of the night went back and forth between anthem and something deeper for the die-hards. Despite the deeper cuts, though, the set felt quite upbeat. The tongue-in-cheek Kunce certainly helped that vibe to be maintained - as did Cheers, the band's poppy and elongated take on the sitcom theme of the same name. There were heavier moments, too, which allowed Ginger and fellow guitarist Ben Marsden to lay down some tight riffs - with Splitter being a good example of such. The classic Everlone followed later and it ended, following plenty of singing, with a snappy run-through of a number of older Wildhearts riffs to drag the arrangement out somewhat. Before this, though, the aforementioned Spider Beach had a more synth-heavy vibe thanks to Carol Hodge (keyboards/vocals) - the band's newest recruit who also, along with Marsden, put in a big shift on vocals to deliver the trademark Wildhearts harmonies in the absence of CJ. The new song sounded good, but different, so I am looking forward to seeing what this line-up has come up with the in the studio next year. Following Everlone, there was not too much time left, but the lengthy Slaughtered Authors was another highlight - with plenty more riffs thrown in, an epic chorus, and a knotty instrumental mid-section which showcased the band's prog side. The sing-a-long newer anthem and setlist staple Diagnosis then followed - before the whole night came to a close with a lengthy version of Chutzpah, which included plenty of soloing from Marsden. It was a powerful way to end the show and the Torquay crowd made their pleasure known as the band left the stage. The setlist was:

Failure Is the Mother of Success

Nothing Ever Changes but the Shoes

Sleepaway

Vernix

Mazel Tov Cocktail

Kunce

Maintain Radio Silence

Cheers

Splitter

Spider Beach

Everlone

Slaughtered Authors

Diagnosis

Chutzpah

Given that my last experience seeing The Wildhearts live was a negative one, it is great to now have another positive one to supersede it. The band really rocked in Torquay and the new-look line-up proved that they are more than capable of carrying on Ginger's vision and bringing the band's catalogue to life. With the next album already recorded, and due out next year, it does not seem as if the band are slowing down any time soon - and I hope that they return to the South West again in the future.