The Wildhearts Review

I attended The Wildhearts’ gig at the Legends club in Newcastle on the 28th September. I had seen them before half-a-dozen times so I mostly knew what to expect: Four hard-working Geordies playing the type of riffs normally associated with thrash metal coupled with layman’s lyrics about love, loss and getting drunk. I attended with my Dad, him being the man who introduced me to them in the first place, and by the looks of things I wasn’t the only one. The Wildhearts have not enjoyed mainstream success often, but they do have the benefit of very loyal fans. Seeing as they started releasing albums nearly twenty years ago, the majority of the audience could be described as ‘Dads’.

The band, having released yet another new album the week before, decided to split the set into two sections. The first half consisted of the entirety of said new album and the second half devoted entirely to their enormous back catalogue. This made for a en enjoyable experience (as a long-touring band they are likely desperate to insert new material into the selection of over-played hits they have accumulated over the years, but they also cannot do so with the audience ignoring the new songs and crying out for the oldies. This strategy was successful). This also meant the audience was polite, yet still loud, during the first half. I found this odd, reacting this way when you know what’s going to happen, as if the majority of the crowd didn’t know what to expect from the band in the first place. Ginger (Lead vocals and Guitar) posted his own review on the band’s website:

“Songs are met, initially, with a stillness of quiet approval before a loud cheer of authentication as each song ends. It is, at once, both off-putting and comforting.” (http://www.thewildhearts.com/2009/09/29/same-old-newcastle/)

Even the URL is ugly. I thoroughly enjoyed the gig and I made sure to shout so much that I could not talk properly the next day, so I disagreed with this opinion (even though Ginger is entitled to it). It occurs to me I am reviewing Ginger’s review of us but he started this pretentiousness by rarely touring his home town so I think that’s fair.

I would recommend this band to anyone who just wants to sing and cheer and be merry with complete strangers and to get entirely lost in the mass riffage without worrying about the front man’s odd tendencies from time to time. I would also recommend the venue for Dads and people who cheer politely.