Not content with having released one of the albums of the year (as well as one of the albums of their storied career), The Wildhearts came to Nottingham, saw, conquered, and left a trail of bodies in their wake. Reinvigorated, and playing songs from almost every album along the way (Endless Nameless, tragically, was overlooked), the Wildhearts crashed feet first into a packed Nottingham Rock City and simply levelled the place.
It helps when, in Suckerpunch and I Wanna Go Where The People Go, you have the sort of opening gambit of which most bands can only dream. From the moment that first riff detonates, it’s clear that audience and band are united in their desire to rock the place to its very foundations, and the singing from the pit is almost as loud as the concentrated wedge of sound that’s pummelling us from the stage. Almost, of course, being the key word – the Wildhearts have never been ones to do things quietly (you have to imagine even their acoustics go up to 11), and tonight is no exception, with Ginger’s guitar doing worrying things to the intestinal tracts of the first few rows.
It helps that Ginger is in a chatty mood, leading the chaos from the stage and encouraging the audience to chant for Doug every time he appears to sort out a new guitar (“alright” admonishes Ginger, “his name’s not on the poster!”) Clearly overwhelmed by the rabid response for The Satanic Rites Of… (“you cunts put it in the charts!”), he tears into multifaceted opening number Eventually with a manic glint in his eye, and all we can do is follow. It’s a complex, beautiful, batshit epic that leaves us breathless, and it neatly showcases the brilliance of the new album – and that’s before we even get to the singles!
From there, it’s a white-hot race through the band’s catalogue. The Jackson Whites detonates like a phosphorous bomb, Diagnosis still has a chorus that’s as addictive as any drug, and Vanilla Radio – with that damn riff – has the audience singing along at the top of their lungs. Along the way, we also get an epic Sleepaway and Failure Is The Mother Of Success – the latter so heavy, at one point it seems to cause the very air to vibrate. With the new band clearly excited to be playing such a range of material and the audience lapping it up, there’s an unstoppable energy in the room, that is only elevated by the likes of new single I’ll Be Your Monster – greeted like an old friend despite having only just been released. It leaves only the closing punch of Everlone and Chutzpah, the latter sounding heavier than ever, to see the main set out in explosive style, Ginger playing his guitar from the middle of a stream of sparks that lights up the stage.
Of course, Ginger’s already given away the secret that they’ll be back and so, with the only disappointment being the looming 10:00pm curfew, they return to the stage to play… Inglorious!
Sorry if I get a little misty eyed here, but I have been waiting to hear this track live since 1995. The moment the intro rings out from the PA, I feel the adrenaline surge, and the band absolutely smash it out of the park. From the soaring melodies of the chorus to the insane, thrashed-out outro, I’m transported back to the bedroom of my teenage years, and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. From the fists pumping the air in the pit and the mass singalong, I guess I’m not alone in my delight, and for 8 gloriously inglorious minutes (sorry), I’m in Wildhearts heaven. Still not quite done with us, but mindful of that damn curfew, the band drop a planned Dislocated from the set, and race into My Baby Is A Headfuck – a final sugar-coasted blast that leaves us to wander out, dazed and confused, into the Nottingham night.
With such a catalogue to their name, the Wildhearts could have played for four hours and still not included everything the audience wanted to hear. Indeed, I’m certain that every fan would be able to identify their own unique setlist, such is the wide-ranging appeal of the band. However, as Ginger recently noted, he’s here to give us what we need rather than what we want and, judging by the state of the crowd after tonight’s show, his instincts are dead on.
Reformed, revitalised, and revelatory, the Wildhearts are back and on top of their game. Beg, steal, borrow – but see them live if you can, because they are absolutely incendiary right now.
Set list
- Suckerpunch
- I Wanna Go Where The People Go
- Eventually
- The Jackson Whites
- Diagnosis
- Vanilla Radio
- Troubadour Moon
- Sleepaway
- Failure Is The Mother Of Success
- Mazel Tov Cocktail
- I’ll Be Your Monster
- Everlone
- Chutzpah
Encore
- Inglorious
- My Baby Is A Headfuck
