Review: Rick Eaglestone for MPM
If the level of anticipation and quite frankly the que to get in was anything to go by then before a note had been struck the evening was lining up to be busy.
Early doors and early curfews are a nightmare but honestly, it’s a true testament to the completely sold-out tour that rescue rooms was bursting at the seams before support act Wigan’s Boss Keloid took to the stage.
The four-piece seemed more than comfortable for the amount of crowd filling up the Rescue Rooms with the majority of six song set comprised of tracks from 2021’s album Family The Smiling Thrush with a few nicely chosen additions from 2018’s and personal favourite Melted on the Inch.
Shockingly this was actually my first time seeing the band live and hopefully it won’t be too long before I hear them in a live setting again and at the time me typing this up, they have been announced for next year’s Magenta festival in Nottingham so everything crossed some new material before then – The car journey home featured their music and they were also the soundtrack to the left over Papa Johns on my return home .
Up next and already with a palpable atmosphere are the creators of a brand new and already widely acclaimed new album This Heathen Land which made up the majority of headliners Green Lungs set.
Under the backdrop from artist Slippery Jack, Green Lung took to the stage and from the moment the first notes from The Forest Church rang through which had everyone singing along with the chorus in unison and not taking a breath into a personal highlight of mine Maxine (Witch Queen)
From then on it every track seemed to elevate not only the audience but the band too. Mountain Throne got a particularly sizeable cheer and too did the slower floaty tones of One For Sorrow right through to bands encore of Let The Devil In & Graveyard Shift
Leaders of the Blind and The Ritual Tree were welcome inclusions and placed well in the set which had obviously has a great deal of thought ahead of time.
The momentum that carried the band through was one of sheer and dynamic delivery, hearing the songs from the new album for the first time was not only an absolute joy but performed in the manner they were, had I not actually been there to witness it I would’ve been entirely convinced they were playing it straight from the album that I am highly confident will end up on peoples end of year lists.
My first live trip into Occult Albion for the year but certainly not my last
Photo credit to Rich @ LiveWire Music.
