The Orange County roots rocker, ROBERT JON and his elite crew of corn-bred country blues buccaneers, THE WRECK are visiting the UK, bringing their ‘Red Moon Rising’ tour.
We had the chance to see this first-class band perfrom at the world-renowned Komedia in Brighton, East Sussex.
Though a bitterly cold evening gripped the English seaside town, the WRECK party erupted with passion, growing louder, tastier, and ever more powerful as the night progressed.
The energized Rager instantaneously reflected the band’s passionate soul and intense spirit. Like their later boogie-tunes, this number was super-packed with powerful momentum, with Burrison’s voice carrying subtle notes of eucalyptol and hackberry.
Robert Jon Burrison’s cough-drop vocals were set against a storm of drums, to establish the tone for (Lynott lookalike) Henry James Schneekluth’s chemically sulphurous guitar that arrived, over-and-over, laced with spice-drops of saucy synth eagerly smashed-out by the 70’s throwback kid Jake Abernathi.
With pounding, bouncing rhythms, heartfelt lyrics, and driving wedges of riff power, ‘Hold On’ explored the profound struggles of life on the road and embodied the sentiment that touches every jongleuring musician’s heart. The lyrics captured the longing for solace and home while also reflecting on the relentless passage of time and the spirit of perseverance.
Help Yourself was an inspiriting & gambolling, gleefully synth-accompanied country-rock psychic boogie-tonk jam that called to mind the age-old notion that love is the curative power that will repair all wounds. This classic country rock song evoked a wistful nostalgia, but also touched on the modern world by blending vintage Southern sounds with contemporary sassiness.
The band’s groove was as smooth as a pole dancer’s inner thigh, despite them playing tighter than the rivets on a deep-sea submersible!
A superaccomplished and unabashedly generous show.
Words: © Neil Mach
Photos: © Marty Moffatt
RAW RAMP 