Rock Regeneration

Old Fire Station, Bournemouth

After clocking up many miles up and down the motorways of the UK performing at a host of gigs and festivals; tours with The Treatment and Mason Hill along with some major festival performances including playing a slot at the mighty Bloodstock Festival, South of Salem return to where it all started with a gig here at the Old Fire Station in February 2020 supporting Hampshire Rockers Saints of Sin. This time though they are headlining in their own right and with the help of local promotor Dom Patience’s help, have shifted over 400 tickets. This is an amazing feat for a local band in this difficult financial climate. Fans have travelled from all over the country to be here tonight and there are also two fanatical ladies who have made the trip over from Germany.

Before the headliners, we have the debut of a new local band and upcoming Welsh rockers to warm up the crowd coming in from the outside from these sub-zero temperatures. The first of these is the new South Coast-based act Lightwave, a band that features members from previous local acts Escape December & Griever. The line-up includes Samantha Bower (Lead Vocals), Matthew Thomason (Bass), Talvin Rihal (Drums) and Johnny Halpin (Guitar). To date they have only played a handful of gigs and have released their debut EP “Dark Cycle”. This is their first hometown show and they get a warm welcome as they take to the stage to kick off proceedings with the opening number “Fake”.

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The quartet produce a modern take on Rock using electronics that bolsters their rudiments. Johnny shows off his unique six-string work with some impressive creations on “Dopamine”, along with a stunningly perfect intro to “Damage”. The rhythm makers Matthew and Talvin flow and ebb through the set creating some spot-on infectious backing for the band’s fine original tunes. Samantha at the front provides some impressive vocal ability and uses her experience to show the audience her considerable stage presence. Lightwave end their set with possibly their strongest track “Revive”, which gets plenty of positive reactions from the crowd who demand more as the band leaves the stage; sadly due to the limited amount of time the audience’s requests will have to wait until the next time.

Next up all the way from Cardiff are 5-piece band James and The Cold Gun, who arrive on stage to the Kate Bush song of the same name from where they took their moniker. Kicking off with the opening number “Chewing Glass” they immediately grab everybody’s attention with their wall of sound that features three electric guitars, along with powerful venue-shaking rhythms. Their energy is seemingly unbounded, with the band members all pulling loads of shapes as they create their sound which is heavily influenced by the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and Welsh heroes the Manic Street Preachers. It’s not an obvious pairing as the band’s sound is quite unique and humble: frontman James Joseph pushes his vocals to the absolute limit with a fast-paced clear delivery. It’s hard not to move to tracks like “Cheating On The Sun” and forcible “Plug Me In”, the audience react to the band’s energy with mosh pit movement ensuing.

James And The Cold Gun 1–2–3–4–5–6–7

The band who have already caught the eye of Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, they seem to have reinvented Alternative Rock with their exuberance and exhilarating performance that has taken this audience completely by surprise. Their final intoxicating tune “Long Way Home” is about not caring about what other people think of you. James starts it on his flying V guitar before the others join him; James Biss is giving his Rickenbacker a right thrashing, reminding me of the first time I saw Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead giving his a right shakedown in the 1990s. The track just grows and grows into a crescendo before stopping with the hum of feedback and a loud cheer from the well-entertained audience. James Joseph shouts “you’ve just made our whole year” and leaves the stage with a satisfied grin on his face.

Finally, it’s time for the headliners to take to the stage, the intro music of the Halloween soundtrack is followed by Walking Dead’s Negan shouting “I hope you got your shittin’ pants, ’cause you are about to shit you pants”. The horror cheerleaders stand on the stage with their menacing masks before the five-piece light up the room with opening number “Let Us Prey”. The audiences reaction is just amazing, giving the band a welcome home that they have always dreamed of. Where many other bands before them have made the mistake of playing their hometown too many times, South Of Salem have made each gig a special occasion; not wanting things to go stale for their audiences. Though there are a few teething troubles with the sound from the backline early on, however, this does not detract from the band’s delivery.

Frontman Joey is all over the stage giving his audience the attention they deserve with the two guitarists showing off their considerable talent at every opportunity. Bassist Dee looks as cool as ever and struts around the stage as if he is a headliner at Hellfest. This band have only released one album to date with apparently another in the pipeline for 2023. Their songs like “Another Nail In My Coffin”, “Severely Yours” and the epic “No Plague Like Home” have all been taken into their heart by their audience, with each fanatic fan singing the words right back at the band.

South Of Salem 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11