Page 56 - Black Velvet Issue 91

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SOIL / SONS OF TEXAS / LIBERTY LIES - MILTON KEYNES CRAUFURD ARMS, 26.11.16

The Craufurd Arms has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years, seeing overhauls
to the venue itself and gigs almost every day. It’s SOiL’s last UK tour date before returning to Amer-
ica, and despite Saliva not being with them as planned on the tour, news from previous dates has
told us it’s a show not to be missed.
Liberty Lies give a very big and welcoming earful of heavy rock riffs as you head towards the
stage. Shaun Richards’ extremely powerful voice stretches the seams of the room to bursting point,
and this is no exaggeration. Even with a little hoarseness towards the end of the set, Richards has
a voice that could send you flying backwards while still remaining impressed in his tone, emotion
and personality, balanced between classic old school rock and modern new age. Josh Pritchett
and Liam Billings’ intertwined guitars command the crowd with their southern rock melodies, while
Adam ‘Wolfie’ Howell (bass) and Adam Stevens (drums) bring up the rear with that raw ‘umph’ that
gives the crowd a sudden urge to headbang, mosh and really feel the music. They are certainly a
band to watch, and having supported huge acts such as GUN, Shinedown and Halestorm, it’s prob-
ably safe to say there won’t be much way of avoiding them in the next couple of years.
Next up are Sons Of Texas, who
explode onto the stage for the last
show of their first tour in Europe and
the UK. Hailing from McAllen, Texas
(surprise, surprise), these guys
know how to ramp up the energy
from an already rowdy crowd and
hold a loyal following as lead singer,
Mark Morales mentions in between
songs a crowd member who has at-
tended five shows on this tour alone
and we can see why! Various tracks
from the recently released album,
‘Baptized In The Rio Grande’, go
down a storm, a very sweaty one at
that. Their last song sees fans in-
vited on stage along with Liberty
Lies’ Shaun Richards again, seeing
their tour come to an end with an
epic sing-along.
The temperature climbs during
the wait for SOiL’s set. The Craufurd
Arms doesn't have air-con, it’s freez-
ing outside but it’s still managed to
get too hot inside. The crowd goes
silent in anticipation as the lights
fade to three back-lit red spotlights.
Many fans are eager to see Ryan
McCombs after such a long wait
since he rejoined the band; there is
a massive roar from the crowd as
they take the stage. When SOiL
begin to play ‘Amalgamation’, there
is no other way to describe the reac-
tion of the crowd other than as a
frenzy. The only pause in between
songs comes from the appreciation
the band have for the fans and those
behind the scenes making gigs like
these happen. By the time we get
round to hearing ‘Black 7’ and ‘Halo’,
SOiL may as well have set the
house on fire but nobody cares
about the heat because Ryan, under
the nearby protection of SOiL’s tour
manager, is singing in the middle of
the crowd.
The encore sees a heavy rendi-
tion of ‘Black Betty’ to finish the
night. How nobody fell onto the
stage during all of this hard rocking
out is beyond us. SOiL may have
only just come back to their old form
after Ryan’s recovery from illness,
but you wouldn't be able to tell be-
cause they’re better than they ever
were before!
YYYYY
Annina Cremona
Adam Zadel (SOiL) Photo By Annina
Cremona

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