Rival Sons at The Electric Ballroom

This was the first review I sent to Grapevinelive.co.uk,

Monday 1st October 2012, Electric Ballroom, Camden
Review by Ryan Whitwell
 
Monday the 1st of October, the first of hopefully a good month of live music for myself. I took the train from Witham down to Camden's Electric Ballroom to see Rival Sons, a band I myself know little about. I've only really listened to their latest album, Head Down, and a few tracks from their two previous albums that friends have shared on Facebook.

The evening started with the first of two supports, Pint Size Hero. An Eastbourne based band that kicked things off with a solid and upbeat set to get the crowd nicely warmed up. Lots of bands came to mind as they performed; Oasis, Libertines, The Enemy, The Cure and a touch of the Clash about them, which all added up to a great sounding act. Quality songs all performed well, possibly one to watch in the not too distant future.

Ulysses, from Bath, were next up. Opening their set with a bouncy upbeat number almost like a rocky beach boys, the kind of thing that would suit a beach party, but a touch dirtier (the music is a bit dirtier, not the beach). There were also a few tracks that hinted at a Who influence. Ulysses sounded great and have already got quite a following if the Ballroom crowd was anything to go by. But the main event, all the way from California, would prove to be...

Brilliant! Really good stuff. Honestly, Rival Sons are a band well worth getting hyped about (if you're not hyped about them already). Performing their last show of the UK leg of their current European tour, they looked good, sounded tight and had the presence of a band that are deserving of big things.

However, and this was a bit of a thing between my friends and the surrounding crowd, they were playing their latest album, note for note, in the same track order as the album! Now, I've seen a fair few bands and I've never seen one that does that. They've had 3 albums plus one EP and they chose to play their current album as if they had plugged in an iPod and added some distortion. The atmosphere began at a good level, as many of the crowd had followed Rival Sons for a number of years, but steadily dwindled as the band continued to play the first 9 songs off their two week old album, but then something brilliant happened.

The band turned it up and played some of their older stuff, the fan favourites, like Tell Me Something and On My Way, really raw and powerful, as if the first part was a contractual obligation and suddenly they could do what they want.

The Ballroom lifted, the band connected with the crowd and suddenly I was surrounded by jumping fans and rapturous cheers as the first chords of 'Torture' were struck. The gig went from potential disappointment to a fantastic performance. Everything worked, the guitar licks were spot on and the vocals matched. We were witnessing a band that could very well go on to be something epic, with a sound that pleases both young and old (I know, I've tested it and the age range in the crowd proves it too) Rival Sons will be bigger, and better, but their set list might need some work as the doubt that they may not be good live was lingering for far too long and the lack of talking to the crowd felt a bit odd.

Overall the line up was great, the atmosphere matched and all three bands were firing on all cylinders (even if Rival Sons took a while to get the engine revved up)

If you want to see Rival Sons (www.rivalsons.com) now, then their next gig is in Spain. As for Ulysses (http://www.myspace.com/ulyssesgb) and Pint size hero (www.pintsizehero.com), they both have plenty of stuff online so be sure to give them a listen.