If there’re any music biz awards for hard-working bands, Robert Jon & the Wreck must surely qualify. Their gig at the ‘bourne music club was their 12th consecutive night of performing their brand of high-energy southern rock, but they still put on a blistering performance. And the next day, they had to set off early for Dover and the ferry to France where they’d perform in Lille the same evening, then play 7 more gigs across Belgium and Germany before they took a break.
Joe Bonamassa claims Robert and his boys are ‘keeping the history of ’60s/70’s rock alive for the next generation,’ and they’re doing it with some pizzaz. They keep everything simple onstage. There’s no unnecessary or lengthy soloing. They’re influenced by The Allmans and Skynyrd (which southern rock bands aren’t?), their songs are about love, break-ups and being out there on the road, and there’s nothing they play you’ve not heard before, but they do it with some style and, as a live attraction, they have something for everyone. From upbeat soul-infused bluesy rock to the occasional ballad which veers towards Americana and even the odd touch of hard rock.
They performed several of their classic tracks, notably, ‘Do You Remember?’, ‘High Time We Hit The Road’, ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’ and a superb ‘Oh Miss Carolina’ to an extremely appreciative, tightly packed audience, with ‘Last Light On The Highway, pt 1’ a slow bluesy intro before pt 2 rocks it up, as an encore. The only mild gripe was they were about 25 minutes into their set before I realised they had a keyboard player.
Before the main band, we were treated to a short acoustic set by the singer and guitarist from Bywater Call, Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes, who gave us stripped-down versions of band songs like ‘Left Behind’ and ‘One More Silver Lining’, and an extremely potent rendition of Muddy Waters’ ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’. Meghan promised us the full band will be returning to the UK in September, which was well received.
Would Robert Jon and the band go down as well in a large hall? At present they can whip up a storm before crowds of 300-400, in small venues like the ‘bourne music club, so time will reveal all, but their take on southern rock certainly deserves a wider hearing.
