As is often the case, Nottingham’s Rescue rooms is well attended, even though it’s a Tuesday night. A friendly venue with good sound and decent lines of sight (unless you’re stood behind the overhang near the door), the Rescue Rooms is the perfect spot for the first night of this double-header tour, featuring sets from Dutch psych-rockers DeWolff and good-natured southern rocker Jared James Nichols. The only disappointment is that, this being a weeknight, the show starts unfeasibly early, with Doomsday Outlaws (immensely popular, given the number of t shirts on display), on stage at 6:15, making it quite impossible for us to get there in time. As it is, we hurtle into the venue just in time to catch DeWolff, who arrive on stage at 7 to find a packed venue awaiting them.
Kicking off with Night Train (no, not that one), DeWolff hit the ground running for a forty-minute set that predominantly showcases the band’s latest effort, Love, Death & In Between, with 3 of the 5 songs drawn from that album. While some bands may betray signs of nerves at airing new material on what is their first proper UK tour (as they point out, they’ve only played London up to this point), DeWolff show no such trepidation, simply launching into the material and expecting the audience to keep up. Bearing in mind that the new material includes the twenty-odd minute Rosita as the final piece of the set and you have some idea of the confidence the band have in the album, and in themselves. It pays off, too, because the cheers between tracks only grow louder, with the only sign of discontent being the “boo!” that greets the announcement that the band have reached their last song.
In between, we get a blazing Heart Stopping Kinda Show (which feels a fair summation of the night), a scat singalong led by drummer and vocalist Luka van de Poel, epic solos from guitarist and vocalist Pablo van de Poel, and hair-raising keys from pianist and singer Robin Piso. Drawing on influences ranging from Pink Floyd to Deep Purple via the Doors and Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band may wear their influences on their sleeves, but they’ve put in the work to become a world-class live act since their self-titled debut EP back in 2008, and on stage is where they excel. Closing with the epic-length Rosita, we not only get psyche-rock in excelsis, but also the sight of Luka in full-on rock-preacher mode stalking the front rows, his guitar temporarily left with a roadie, as he whips the audience into something approaching a frenzy. It’s a fitting conclusion to the show and the noise of the crowd upon the band’s departure suggests there’s a willing audience for when they return.
Headlining the night, Jared James Nichols is something of a human whirlwind, maintaining the momentum built by DeWolff from the opening notes to the closing bars. A genuine showman, but with no sense of the egotistical detachment that some gunslingers exude, his enthusiasm for the music, for the show, and for the audience is very much in evidence, and when he offers sweaty hugs for all at the show’s conclusion, it’s clear that he means it. Throughout the night Jared frequently tries (and fails) to suppress the grin of delight that irrepressibly breaks out as he toys with us, splitting up solos and throwing in cheeky references to long-held influences, and his enthusiasm is undeniably infectious, sweeping the audience along with him.
The only minor wobble of the night comes at the start, with sound levels taking a little time to settle. With Easy Come Easy Go a schizophrenic opener, all fiery riffs and a surprisingly nimble pre-chorus, the sound is just a bit too hit and miss, with the drums threatening to overpower both guitars and bass. Nevertheless, it’s a tough, hard rock vibe the band project with Jared throwing shapes as his band provide a suitably seismic backdrop. Things do begin to settle during My Delusion, a hard rocker with a rock ‘n’ roll core, but it’s not until we get into the mid-tempo groove of Down The Drain, that things are properly back on track.
From here on in, however, it’s wall to wall jams. With the audience now firmly on side, Hard Wired emerges out of arcing feedback to offer a hulking great riff – reminiscent of Soundgarden – only to plunge into a deep blues’ solo. With a cheeky grin, JJ winds up the crowd and then takes it even harder, eliciting huge cheers as his guitar screams and roars. Better still is the extended jam, Threw Me To The Wolves, which starts out as a trad blues stomp, interpolates the Rolling Stones’ Miss You and then provides solo slots for each member of the band.
With the audience lapping it up, Skin And Bone is given a grittier turn on stage than on record, although Bad Roots eclipses it, Jared raising the roof for an elemental hard rocker that, wonderfully, ends with a nod to Norwegian Wood. Honey Forgive Me, which has a funky strut, provides yet more opportunities for solos, although these are never indulgent and they’re so woven into the song that they fly past with little fanfare, although the show highlight is surely a grungy take on Shadow Dancer, which underscores Jared’s love of Alice in Chains. Then there’s an absolutely storming Keep Your Light On Mama, influenced by a trip to Mississippi grave yards and delivered with the wonderfully throaty roar that only P90s can give. It leaves Nails In The Coffin, with its Chris Cornell vibe to finish the set proper, although Jared soon returns with a pair of covers, including a turbo-charged War Pigs, which sees the crowd singing at the tops of their voices, the well-worn classic sounding strangely vital in Jared’s hands.
Jared James Nichols may be one hell of a guitarist, but he never acts as such, his obvious joy at being on stage, the chemistry he shares with his talented band mates, and his natural charm precluding the clinical approach favoured by some virtuosos. For him, it’s all about serving the song and, here on stage in Nottingham, he delivers a pulse-raising set peppered with cracking tunes. With an easy style and plenty of cheeky nods to his influences, a Jared James Nichols show is simply a pleasure to behold and, should you have the opportunity to catch a show, I suggest you grab it.
OCTOBER 2023 UK TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
DEWOLFF
PLUS +DOOMSDAY OUTLAW, *SILVEROLLER, #TOBY LEE
PLANET ROCK 48-HOUR TICKET PRE-SALE
STARTS 10AM TUESDAY JUNE 20 FROM PLANETROCK.COM
TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE 10AM THURSDAY JUNE 22
FROM WWW.JAREDJAMESNICHOLS.COM
NOTTINGHAM, RESCUE ROOMS +
TUESDAY 10 OCTOBER 2023
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Masonic Pl, Goldsmith St, Nottingham, NG1 5LB
https://www.rescuerooms.com
WOLVERHAMPTON, KK’S STEEL MILL +
WEDNESDAY 11 OCTOBER 2023
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Starworks Warehouse, Frederick Street, WV2 4DU
www.kkssteelmill.co.uk
LONDON, THE DOME +
THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2023
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2A Dartmouth Park Hill, London, N19 5QH
https://domelondon.co.uk
MANCHESTER, REBELLION +
FRIDAY 13 OCTOBER 2023
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2B Whitworth St W, Manchester, M1 5WZ
www.rebellion.club
BRADFORD, NIGHTRAIN *
SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER 2023
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7-19 Queensgate, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1RB
https://nightrain.co.uk
GLASGOW, CATHOUSE *
SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023
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15 Union St, Glasgow, G1 3RB
https://cathouse.co.uk
BRISTOL, THE FLEECE *
MONDAY 16 OCTOBER 2023
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12 St. Thomas Street, Bristol, BS1 6JJ
https://thefleece.co.uk
MILTON KEYNES, CRAUFORD ARMS #
TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER 2023
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59 Stratford Rd, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5LT
www.thecraufurdarms.com
