Live Review : Florence Black + The Howling Tides @ The Tivoli, Buckley on February 4th 2023

After last night’s nostalgia-fest here at the Tiv, tonight I am viewing two of the stalwarts of the modern British rock movement.

The Howling Tides start tonight with some rather smashing slide guitar and a bluesy accompanying vocal. I would describe them as modern retro -they have that 70s feel but with a modern twist and they mix it up well. There’s plenty of melody but also with that heavy bass sound and beat. There's a lot of movement and energy on stage. The crowd love it and the band are feeding off them and in places seem a little bemused by the good response they are getting. It certainly gets the toes tapping! For me it gets a little bit samey in places but the crowd are responding well and the band are certainly competent. There's a sing-along song called ‘Your Days Are Numbered’ in which the crown join with gusto, and the whole thing is quite uplifting to behold.

Florence Black are currently being touted as Wales’ Next Big Thing, and indeed Wales are out in force tonight to support them. It’s nice to see packed floor, and even a bit of a moshpit later on, and again the crowd response very much adds to the atmosphere. That’s where the crowd and me part company though, because I have to admit that I just can’t get into this band. They are really good at what they do, and they do very heavy, very metal. They’re a power trio with all the emphasis on power, it’s blues-based, it’s hard, there’s brutality but it’s tempered with melody, but despite all that it just doesn’t work for me. The vocals are gritty and full of emotion, the backing vocals are adequate but it just doesn’t move me. The band give it their all and the crowd are right alongside them, the set had all the hallmarks of a classic moment and I am standing apart wondering what it’s all about. They defy any pigeonholing or comparison, the nearest I can think of is that in places they sound a bit like Soil but it’s only a bit, most of their style is their own. There’s synchronised headbanging on stage and off, the air is punched and the rabble is roused. The beat is insistent and the crowd lap it up. The songs are well-crafted and performed with precision and panache. I really don’t understand it, they tick all the boxes musically, they’re fantastic musicians, they have everything needed to take things to the next level and I sincerely hope that they do. They even give a nod to their Welsh heritage with a cracking cover of Budgie’s ‘Breadfan’ that rips the roof off. Still not for me though. It was an excellent performance by a very good band and I think I need to give my head a bit of a wobble because I don’t dislike them, far from it, I just t-don’t get them!