Page 42 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 103

BV103 pg42_BV102 pg42 23/12/2019 11:11 Page 1

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YYYYY Excellent YYYY Very Good YYY Good

YY Listenable, Just Y Poor

THE WILDHEARTS / LAST GREAT DREAMERS / JANUS STARK – WOLVERHAMPTON KK’S STEEL MILL, 21.10.19
It’s a great time to be a Wildhearts fan. Not only did 2019 see the band release a new album, ‘Renaissance Men’, but they also have recently
backed that up with the ‘Diagnosis’ mini-album. And, following a successful UK Renaissance Men tour to coincide with the release of the album (and
various other performances including a number of festivals), the band return for The Renaissance Men Tour, Part 2.
Tonight is a bit of a blast from the past. Janus Stark take to KK’s Steel Mill’s stage first. The Peterborough band were active in the late 90s and
are fronted by Gizz Butt, who was also a touring guitarist of The Prodigy. The band’s punk rock roots stand out while embedded with melody. The four-
piece perform songs such as ‘Panic Attack’ and ‘Barriers’ with conviction (and numerous high punk rock jumps from Gizz) and end with the single
‘Every Little Thing Counts’. While we never got to see them live in the 90s, the fact that we do now definitely counts.
Another band from the 90s that went their separate ways before reuniting again are Last Great Dreamers. Now with Tim Emery on bass and Rik
Pratt on drums joining vocalist/guitarist Marc Valentine and guitarist Slyder Smith, the band’s bouncy power-pop rock feels fresh and current. They’ve
released three albums since their reformation and it looks like nothing’s holding them back now. ‘Oblivion Kids’ is a particularly bubblegum pop rock
gem and sounds even better live than on disc. We’re most impressed and will definitely catch these guys again.
While we were a little worried about Ginger Wildheart after he tweeted earlier in the day about not being present at the band’s signing session that
afternoon as he ‘felt like shit, mentally and physically’, when he and his bandmates, CJ Wildheart, Danny McCormack and Ritch Battersby arrive on
stage all is forgotten as soon as the magnetic riffs of ‘Diagnosis’ infiltrate the building. Spitting out mental health truths in the most floral rock ‘n’ roll
form immediately sees unity formed. Each and everyone in the room can understand, or at least sympathise with, Ginger in relation to his long, hard
battle with mental illness.
And to see him on
stage is admirable, es-
pecially when he’s had a
tough day. But if he
didn’t mention it during
the show, then you
would not have guessed
– since, as Ginger says,
‘the show has to take
priority’. And for the next
hour and a quarter or
so, the band put on their
best show and the
crowd laps it up.
Whether it’s anthemic
newness such as ‘Let
‘Em Go’ or the loveable
old favorites such as ‘I
Wanna Go Where The
People Go’, we’re in fist-
punching, foot-stomp-
ing, hook-latching
heaven. ‘Caffeine
Bomb’ is a joyful fizz of
fire and excitement,
while ‘Dislocated’ packs
a slightly heavier and
savage punch.
This tour gives the
band a chance to try
some more new songs
from ‘Renaissance Men’
including ‘My Kinda
Movie’ with its swash-
buckling guitar fretwork
and ‘Fine Art Of Decep-
tion’ which sees the au-
dience yell ‘Bullshit’ in
the chorus. Don’t worry,
it’s in the lyrics!
Bassist Danny Mc-
Cormack takes over the
lead vocals for ‘Anthem’
while the show ends
with ’29 x The Pain’.
Luckily for us, the only
pain we feel now is the
wait until the next Wild-
hearts tour.
SBV
YYYY
Shari Black Velvet
Ginger Wildheart (The Wild-
hearts) Photo By Shari
Black Velvet

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