Heathen Apostles - Jul 23 Club Velocity/New Mind Promotions have been putting on some fantastic and varied gigs at The Facebar this year. To date we have seen some incredible sets from the likes of Kristeen Young, Beans on Toast, Guana Batz and The Rezillos. Tonight was going to be no exception with Heathen Apostles bringing their Gothic Americana to Berkshire.

Opening act Lord Cemetery & the Beautiful Dead are local gothabilly heroes The Go Go Cult in their alt country guise. As such we get a slightly different set to usual with ‘Get Under My Skin’ making a welcome return with its epic western twangy guitar permeating across the slow groove. ‘Town Called Sorrow’ is a cracking rockabilly stomp whilst ‘In Tupelo’ dials up the spaghetti western vibe to the max. New song ‘Going Down to Hell’ gets a debut and fits seamlessly into the set whilst old favourite ‘Bring out your Dead’ concludes a highly enjoyable venture into the band’s alter egos.

Lord Cemetery & The Beautiful Dead - Jul 23 It’s hard being a sole acoustic performer sandwiched between two bands, but Page of Swords proved to be a pleasant interlude. Matching intricate finger picking with deliciously dark lyrics and pleasing melodies, songs such as ‘Black Dog’ and ‘The Red Ledger’ along with some amicable banter make for an entertaining set.

Page of Swords - Jul 23 A quick look on youtube for Heathen Apostles and you will find a collection of wonderfully macabre videos depicting a dark gothic sand blasted version of Americana. The question arose – could the band replicate our high expectations on the live stage?

The elegantly dressed and flame haired singer/guitarist Mather Louth spent her formative years performing burleseque blues in Radio Noir, whilst guitarist Chopper Franklin played with the Cramps in their twilight years (including the two shows I saw them play at the much missed Astoria). Joined by Thomas Lorioux on upright bass and Luis Mascaro on violin, the band make up the nastiest looking selection of hired gunslingers this side of Henry Fonda’s Frank in ‘Once Upon a Time in The West’. As a bonus, they have the best collection of hats I have seen grace a stage in a long time.

Heathen Apostles - Jul 23 Opening with ‘Paint the Stars’ the band set out their stall with Mather’s rich soulful voice perfectly complimenting the flawless band. Luis’ violin is given plenty of space to fill the room with energy without taking away from the vocals. ‘Death’s Head’ keeps the pace up and is a powerhouse of a song – if only the mainstream charts had songs like this in them, the world would be a better place. ‘Fool’s Gold’ is marginally slower but only just and if the room wasn’t already won over, it was now.

Heathen Apostles - Jul 23

As with most Americana bands, they are not adverse to a cover and Hank Williams ‘Ramblin’ Man’ gets a very welcome airing as does a version of Mark Lanegan’s ‘Gravedigger’s Song’ later in the set. Chopper Franklin’s guitar and later mandolin playing is a joy to watch as he eludes the sort of cool that we can only aspire to in our dreams.

Heathen Apostles - Jul 23 The top notch songs keep coming with ‘Into the Wild’ featuring a foreboding vocal that wouldn’t look amiss on a Nick Cave album circa ‘Murder Ballads’. By the time we get to ‘Get Outta Dodge’, I’m convinced that this is one of the best sets I have seen this year. Sadly, it all has to end but we get a stunning version of ‘The Reckoning’ plus Luis playing the unmistakable intro to Bach’s ‘Toccata in D Minor’ on his violin.

Heathen Apostles - Jul 23

Tonight is what seeing live music is all about – discovering a band that you take to your grave with you. Everything about the band worked from the effortlessly cool image to the expert musicianship and Mather’s incredible vocals. The albums I bought post show have been on constant rotation ever since and I doubt that will change for a few weeks.

The band are doing a decent sized tour of the south of England and if they are anywhere near you, I recommend taking a punt and buying yourself a ticket. You will not be disappointed.

Heathen Apostles - Jul 23