Maybe the stars
aligned, maybe I was too close to the speakers, but when Soldier On!
hit the stage at Broadcast I felt it.
Something changed in
me. That surge of adrenalin that music can kick start pulsed around
my body and it felt good.
There are some bands
through history that had, or have, to be seen to be fully
appreciated.
Dr Feelgood were one of
course, The Clash another, and the Jim Jones Revue are a modern one
who are currently setting stages alight with their live shows that I
would recommend putting on your 'must see before I die' list, and now
I feel safe in saying that the boys from Soldier On! Have just been
added to that list to.
Back to the beginning
of the story though as I didn't just stumble across them on a stage.
Initially I had heard
some rumblings about a new band who were making some waves locally,
and then coincidentally I received some of their songs to play on my
radio show.
This isn't that unusual
as we all experience it. We hear a word and think to ourselves that
it's one that is rarely used and then for the next few days it's
mentioned again in the street, on the television and in print.
That was the deal with
Soldier On! They were mentioned in glowing terms, I got some tracks
sent to me to listen to for consideration of some airtime on my radio
show (Mesi Radio) and for a few days the name just kept cropping up
again and again.
Of course there is
always a reason for a good buzz about a band, and after listening to
them I was more than happy to juggle the running order up and find
some space to give them airtime, and as they say, one thing then led
to another and that other being me trekking up to Glasgow to check
them out live.
Before the gig itself I
met up with the band in the bar upstairs and it felt like I was
walking into a cafe in early 60s London, or a cut scene from
Quadrophenia. All that was missing was a line of scooters at the
front door. After a quick round of introduction and a short chat I
then made my way down stairs to the basement and eagerly awaited
their set as the excitement was already building up a bit and I
wanted to get myself into a prime position to enjoy it.
The band themselves
filed onto stage one by one and eyed the crowd with an air of 'here
we go' about them.
It's an entrance that
conjures up a remembrance of the the past to an extent, and also one
that acts as a watershed moment between them taking their position
and front man Jordan bursting onto stage to grab the mic and start
the evening proper with a bit of showbiz shock and awe.
Powering into their
latest release 'narcolepsy' they started off on a high with no
attempt at all to start from a slow build up.
This is it. It's all
out there for everyone to grab onto right from the word go.
Jordan patrols the
stage like a peacock on speed. A full on front man who has been
watching how the legends do it. He's Roger Daltrey and James Brown
all rolled into one and his hypnotic dance moves and biting lyrics
had the crowd on his side straight away.
Next up the guys kept
the tempo up with their version of The Beatles track Hey Bulldog.
I couldn’t keep my
eyes off drummer Ross who would pounding the skins with the power and
energy of a young Keith Moon, and strangely enough he has an uncanny
likeness to him too. Liam as a bassist does what all good bassists do
and holds everything together allowing guitarists Ben and Stephen to
layer the swapping of riffs over the backbeat.
Being able to read a
set and how it is being received is a sign of a good band and Soldier
On! were right on the button when they slipped into calming the set
down with a couple of acoustic numbers that allowed the audience to
catch their breath.
A cover of The Small
Faces ‘Itchycoo Park’ effortlessly slipped into a love song
penned by Jordan who had written it for his girlfriend who was in the
crowd. It's a nice touch and in a suitably sentimental moment the
crowd joined him in on serenading her.
Once again it all just
felt like the flow of the music was being guided rather expertly
because just as everyone was ready for the rock and roll to be
reintroduced it was with the track called 'Rhona' that was my first
taste of them. It's a chirpy chirpy Britpop style track that brought
the crowd back to life and had the front of the stage was swamped
with parka wearing lads and girls in mini dresses who were all
dancing without a care in the world.
To finish the explosive
set a cover of Jumping Jack Flash brought out the best moves of the
night from Jordan and probably the best song of the night from the
band.
Suffice to say that
once it was all over I walked away from the venue with a spring in my
step and a smile on my face, and isn't that what a good gig should
provide?
The Stars had aligned,
and Soldier On! will be definitely be marching on to bigger gigs in
the future, and I doubt there's a scooter rally in the UK that would
benefit from throwing them a booking.
Review by Tommy Clark of The Third Class Ticket (mesi Radio)
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