Page 44 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 107

BV107 pg 44-47 cj wildheart.qxp_BV107 pg 44 01/12/2022 19:26 Page 1

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CJ WILDHEART / SCOTT SORRY / GRAND THEFT AUDIO – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE 3, 20.09.22
While The Wildhearts are on a hiatus, this is the next best thing – a tour featuring two of the current members, plus an ex-Wildhearts member,
amongst the three-band lineup.
Grand Theft Audio are on first, with The Wildhearts’ Ritch Battersby on drums. His partner-in-crime is Jay Butler on vocals, while they’re also
helped out on this tour by Rob Lane on bass and Ben Marsden on guitar. Opening with a track from their new album ‘Pass Me The Conch’, ‘Ruin Your
Youth’ instantly gives off punchy, pop-punk vibes. It’s not long before frontman Jay jumps off the stage, climbs over the barrier and sings from the
middle of the audience. He then ends up staying there for the whole set. This sees him lying on his back on the floor, climbing up and perching on a
ladder, which seems to appear from out of nowhere, and, also, crouching on the bar. It’s definitely an entertaining set. The band play songs from their
2000 release ‘Blame Everyone’, such as the electronically-enhanced ‘We Luv U’, which could almost be the flamboyant younger brother of the Manics’
‘You Love Us’, plus ‘Stoopid Ass’ and ‘As Good As It Gets’. ‘Scrub Up’ and ‘Ici Mon Decree’, from their new release, get an airing, with Ritch holding
up the beat throughout. Ending with the rambunctious ‘Bury The Day’, these guys get the night off to a full-blooded and fabulous start.
Scott Sorry joined The Wildhearts back in 2006, although obviously he’s not been in the band since the ‘Earth vs The Wildhearts’ lineup reformed.
Instead, he’s been busy with his own projects, Sorry and the Sinatras and his solo career. He’s also spent some time battling and surviving cancer –
but is now back and thriving on life. He kicks up a storm as soon as his set begins, with ‘Broken Hearts and 45’s’ immediately getting the blood pumping
and oxygen flowing. Scott thanks the crowd for coming out and says it
means a lot to be able to see people. He jokes about being worn out
already, despite a now-healthy lifestyle. The five-piece band play ‘The
Saint Of Philadelphia’ for former bass player Roger Segal, who was
sadly killed at the start of the year in Philadelphia, before the red and
raw ‘Hated Heart’ and the full-throttle force of ‘ReWired’. Scott tells the
audience that everyone on the tour is getting along, drinking tea and
doing each other’s laundry. He says he’s never had more fun on a tour
than this one. The punk rock ‘n’ roll set continues to charge along with
‘Give It’, ‘Black Dog Dancers’ and the anthemic ‘When We Were Kings’.
We definitely have fun during Scott’s set. Long live this King.
Next up is CJ Wildheart, who kicks off with ‘Peking Duck’, a militant,
machete-style attack which blows any last remaining cobwebs out of
your earholes. It’s from his 2020 release ‘Siege’, as is second song
‘State Of Us’, another provocative number. CJ takes a few minutes to
talk about the tour and how he, Ritch and Scott are like brothers, before
The Jellys favourite ‘Lemonade Girl’, one of the more melodic tunes in
the setlist. The set features an array of songs from CJ’s career, includ-
ing ‘Hit It On The Head’, a Wildhearts B-side from 2004 and Honey-
crack’s sprightly ‘Sitting At Home’.

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