Rock Regeneration

Feb21

Saints of Sin/Wolf Jaw/South Of Salem

on February 21st, 2020 at 20:39

Old Fire Station, Bournemouth

Playing the O2 managed Old Fire Station in Bournemouth is a pretty big deal for any band. When it’s your largest ever headline gig and you have sold over 500 tickets to your hometown crowd, it’s an even bigger deal. South Coast rockers Saints Of Sin have been on a long journey to reach this point and have worked extremely hard to get here. Their future direction is surely dependant on the success of this show; with plenty of media and radio coverage beforehand, there have been a few clues letting us know what to expect.

With the crowd urged to get here by 6:45pm for an early start; things kick off with opening band South Of Salem bang on time. The band feature former members of Goth/Horror/Rock outfit Al Be Damned and are resetting the counter again with the first gig here under the new name. This five-piece fronted by Joey Draper have brought a fair following with them, who are all very vocal during their first number “No Plague Like Home”. The five-piece show themselves to be more than competent musicians with plenty of dirty guitar work, coupled with huge no-nonsense rhythms. Joey works the crowd well while delivering some impressive vocals on tunes like “Pretty Little Nightmare” and their epic new single “Let Us Prey” where the band were joined on stage by American-style cheerleaders who hold banners aloft with the lyrics to the chorus. The crowd dutifully sing the infectious chorus, while the band continue to impress with some huge melodic guitar riffs that more than set the pace for the rest of the night ahead.

South Of Salem 1–2–3–4–5–6–7

Next up is Wolf Jaw (formerly The Dead Flowers); a trio from Cannock in Staffordshire, has played in this area a couple of times before with a set at the Winter’s End Festival in Wareham and a memorable show at Teddy Rocks Festival in 2018. They are a more than welcome addition to this line-up and this gig acts as a good warm-up for the band before they head off to Europe on an extensive tour with Jared Nichols James. Their groove-laden sound immediately connects with the Bournemouth crowd as frontman Tom Leighton delivers some imposing Blues-injected Rock guitar, coupled with some undeniably heavy rhythms from these two guys who are clearly the powerhouse of the band. Shapeshifter Dale Tonks gets down and dirty with some colossal basslines that shake the very foundations of this building, while drummer Karl Selickis is the perfect fit with nothing short of magnificent drum work. With tunes like the appropriately titled “Beast” and “City Lights” the band earned themselves plenty of positive recognition from the well-entertained crowd.

Wolf Jaw 1–2–3–4–5

Saints Of Sin take to the stage and the adoring crowd give them a reception like AFC Bournemouth got when they were promoted to the Premier League, nothing short of euphoria. The band over the years have earned themselves a big following and with this their first gig of 2020, it is indeed a big occasion. Kicking off with “The Big Bad Wolf”, the four guys come out with big smiles on the faces and an air of confidence that you have when playing to your hometown crowd. Their energy is infectious, their songs catch you full-on by drilling their way subconsciously into your brain and you’ll be humming them to yourself all weekend. These four very down to earth lads featuring Rui on vocals, Josh on drums, Sparxx on Guitar and Ashley on bass have a chemistry unlike any other. They second guess each other’s moves with plenty of synched dancing and lots of interaction with the crowd.

Saints Of Sin 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9

If you’d told me that Saints Of Sin were going to get together with the Swing Unlimited Big Band and perform together I’d of thought you’d be joking, it’s only something that would happen in a twisted dream after a plate full of cheese from Renoufs! However, before our very eyes, trumpets and trombones arrive being carried by band members dressed like John Belushi in the Blues Brothers. With the wave of the conductors arms the brass mix with Saints of Sin in a thoroughly delightful way on a reworked version of “Nasty Love”, mixed with Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk”. This was also repeated on a stunning version of Areosmith’s “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” where once again the genres successfully collided. I cannot express enough what a brilliant atmosphere the band brought to this place tonight, I can honestly say no one could have left disappointed from this fantastic night for the band and their loyal fans. It will be very interesting to see how they capitalize on this and move forward. A fantastic night that will go down in the history books and I’m sure will be remembered for a long time to come.

Set Lists
Saints of Sin
The Big Bad Wolf
We’re On Fire
Alive
Rocket
Fame
Forever
Nasty Love
Uptown Funk
Heart Attack
Shine Like Stars
Welcome to the Circus
End of Time
Wasted Nights
The Living Dead