Ryan Hamilton - Oct 22 It’s Texas v Tennessee tonight with a double header from Ryan Hamilton and Warner E Hodges, with the latter’s band doing a double shift tonight backing both headliners. The gig has sold out meaning this is going to be one mean and sweaty venue.

Ryan has been on the circuit for nearly two decades having been one half of Smile Smile before starting his solo career backed by the Traitors and then the Harlequin Ghosts. I caught Ryan supporting the Alarm back in late 2018 and since then he has released three excellent albums with new material on the way so this this gig has been long anticipated.

Warner’s been performing in bands since he was a child and is best known as a founder member of Jason and the Scorchers, as well as playing with Dan Baird and Homemade Sin. With plenty of tales of his past endeavours and a wide repertoire of songs, a night with Warner is always guaranteed to be fun.

Singer, songwriter and short story author Shaun O’Reilly opens the procedures with his melancholic blues. Whilst being a gentle player, his voice resonates around the room with his astute observations on life drawing familiar pictures.  

Looking resplendent in his light coloured suit jacket, Boss of the Plains hat, orange tinted glasses and the niftiest pair of shoes I have seen in some time, Ryan comes onto the stage and launches into the bar room boogie of ‘Get Down’. Warner’s band have been playing together for a while now and are an incredibly tight unit. The addition of Ryan’s guitarist is seamless and you would think that everybody has been playing together for years rather than just a few days.

The blink and you’d miss it, ‘Ode to the Idiots’ is a welcome message to internet trolls, followed by the equally catchy ‘Do the Damage’ and ‘Smarter’. Ryan’s collaboration with Ginger Wildheart, ‘Fuck You Brain’ is a welcome addition to the setlist. The jacket is off revealing a well worn Keith Richards t-shirt and the spirit of Keith is certainly on stage tonight. Ryan’s cover of The Refreshments ‘Banditos’ is more country infused power pop that drags you at speed down rock n roll’s highway.

Latest single ‘Paper Planes’ gets an airing and it is a slower track but with another of those hummable choruses. Personal favourite ‘Mamacita’ would still sound good if it was played on a nose flute – power rock at its best. There is a welcome return for ‘Records and Needles’ from the ‘Hell in a Day’ album with its alt country feel and chorus referencing Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones.

By the time the set concludes with ‘Out of My League’ and a ‘Freak Flag’, Ryan has people emotional at the prospect of meeting him at the merch desk. A huge talent and eminently charming, he deserves success on both sides of the Atlantic.

Warner has been coming to the UK for many years and having his band based in the UK is a bonus for us. On drums, John keeps the band in check being the steady influence on stage contrasting bassist Jason’s urge to test the ceilings and lighting rigs of venues across the country with his frequent leaps into the air. Meanwhile on guitar we have the in-demand Ben Marsden trading licks with Warner and soloing to his heart’s content. Including the previous set with Ryan, this is the fourth band I have seen him play with in 3 weeks.

A Warner set will usually include tracks he has recorded personally, a few Scorchers/Homemade Sin songs and a number of choice covers from both country and rock worlds. Tonight, is no different and we start with a raucous cover of AC/DC’s ‘Riff Raff’. Songs such as ‘Where you Gone’ and ‘Right Back Where I Started’ demonstrate how close alt country was in attitude to their Australian forebears. When Warner slows it down for a more country song such as ‘The Magician’, the band show their musical versatility with even Ben reigning the urge to let rip.

A quick look to the ceiling and Warner’s guitar makes its customary spin around his back and over his shoulder for the first but not last time tonight. Always the raconteur, Warner has a genuine rapport with his audience filling the gaps between songs with his life stories.

Do you want some Cheap Trick? Yup and the band go into a cracking version of ‘I Want You to Want Me’. Crowd favourite ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’ has the audience singing in unison, whereas a stunning version of Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ blows a fuse and the stage goes dark with only Ben’s guitar still working. Warner starts singing a new song only for the power to return and seamlessly we are back into ‘War Pigs’. ‘Rockin in the Free World’ follows and the band conclude the set with more AC/DC. This time ‘Let There Be Rock’ and there certainly was, with added country sensibilities.

This is clearly a band enjoying themselves – no fixed set list and all prepared to play whatever is shouted from the crowd (within reason). I’ve not seen a Warner show that I haven’t enjoyed yet and I suspect with this lineup, I never will.

Overall a fantastic night for all who attended.

Shaun O'Reilly - Oct 22 Ryan Hamilton - Oct 22 Ryan Hamilton - Oct 22 Ryan Hamilton - Oct 22 Warner E Hodges - Oct 22 Warner E Hodges - Oct 22 Warner E Hodges - Oct 22