When you get back from a gig and you just cannot find the words to express just how good it was you must have been with me at KK’s for THOSE DAMN CROWS. I see so much live music that is amazing, some truly brilliant nights spent listening and watching some of the best bands around delighting audiences and making memories, but THOSE DAMN CROWS and their legion of fans have just blown the roof off at KK’s.
Opening band FLORENCE BLACK blasted the evening to a running start with the South Wales three piece assaulting the ears with their power and hugely splintering guitar solos. Tristan Thomas has a big voice and he needed it in such a venue, Perry Davies smashing hell out of the drums and Jordan Evans smoking the low lines with ferocity and a darkness only matched by the dim lighting that accompanied their set.
They sounded deliciously sludgy and won over a great many new fans. The band always deliver, and tonight was no exception.
HOLLOWSTAR have definitely been gathering momentum with their hard rock sound. Their songs have great hooks and chorus’s which pull you in and Joe Bronson is a confident frontman, his voice rises above the riffs and is carried along perfectly by the music.
Their debut EP ‘Some Things Matter’ had me take notice upon its release and seeing the songs performed in a live setting gives them more energy and power while keeping you shuffling along to their infectious melodies and memorable riffs. Awesome job guys.
You could have cut the atmosphere in KK’s with a knife, the anticipation was evident in the faces of those not just on the barrier but stretching right back to the sound desk and beyond. KK’s was sold out weeks ago for this gig and many of their fans had travelled to this fabulous venue in support of the Bridgend boys, it was rammed!
I was really looking forward to this after having watched the guys progress and grow into their sound and confidence in their performances over the last few years and after seeing them a few times over the last few months to hear the new album tracks would be good.
Opening with ‘Who Did It’ it was evident from the off that they meant business. Such a likeable band, they all connect instantly with the crowd, David providing the intricacy of the guitar skills and Lloyd providing the strong and pulsing bass line, both of them smiling and playing to the fans.
Ronnie providing the powerhouse drumming, relentless and loud never missing a beat, Shiner flooding out the sound with riffs and solos, calmly holding his ground but clearly enjoying himself too. The band are so loud but it’s a big loud, not a distorted loud, it’s the power of the music in its entirety, the blend of the guitars and drums that just assault your senses and kick you firmly in the guts.
I haven’t yet mentioned the ultimate frontman. The man with so much power in his voice laced with lilt and tone, a melodic master with serious power pipes who can sing above the hugeness of the music and delight every cell in your being with vocal mastery, Shane Greenhall.
There are not enough words to describe his voice let alone his personality and performance. He chats easily, like he’s known everyone in the room personally for his entire life. He commands the stage, never still, stood on the platform, stood on the monitor, running down onto the barrier, working his way through the crowd, ensuring he gets towards the back, head high singing to everyone, running along the pit, fist bumps, handshakes, hugs and he never ever drops a note!
‘Longtime Dead’, ‘Behind These Walls’ the songs flooded every corner of the room. Shane’s voice ever powerful did need the assistance of the Crows Choir for a few songs which was going to happen anyway, however he was not 100% but gave way over 110%! ‘Be You’ is one of the songs from the new album and has received extensive airplay and it was evident that absolutely everyone in this part of the world knew every word. From the pit I just stepped back and watched the crowd for a few moments and everyone I could see was either singing of nodding along and it wasn’t just to one or two songs, it was every song – phenomenal.
‘Someone Someday’, ‘Never Win’ and ‘Blink OF An Eye’, honestly this was unreal it was so good. A quick chat with the guys saw Shane look to drop ‘Sin on Skin’ due to his voice but the crowd were having none of it so the band played and Shane sang and everyone helped – they sang every word, you could see on the bands faces what they thought – it must have been a pinch me moment for them.
A band who have the song writing skills, the musicality, the musicianship, the pure talent, the drive and the love of what they do to go all the way to the top, that’s THOSE DAMN CROWS summed up in one sentence.
The tour is sold out so I hope we will get more dates later in the year, another opportunity after their festival appearances planned for this summer, to see the boys play some bigger venues too please.
Considering I was struggling for words to describe the gig, I appear to have found some. I could literally have said “Those Damn Crows are THE band to see live – Epic, go and see them, buy the album, enjoy fabulous amazing songs, these boys are going to go stratospheric!”
Review & Photography by Lindsay Smith for MPM
