Live Review : Rival Sons + Creeping Jean @ Mountford Hall, Liverpool on July 2nd 2025
When you have a week to spare sandwiched between Guns ‘N Roses support duties and a prestigious slot at the “Back to the Beginning” Birmingham mega-show, what to do with yourselves? Well in Rival Sons case you get out on the road and pound some of the streets that rock shows sometimes forget. Last night was Bournemouth and tomorrow night is the rock n' roll capital of Stockton-on-Tees, but this very evening they have decided to prove that the North West rock scene protrudes much further than Manchester. Hard rocking shows by name artists are hard to find in Liverpool and the Scouse rock aficionados have done Rival Sons proud by filling the joint.
Opening act Creeping Jean have an interesting business model, they are based around and even sing about frontman Olly Tooze’s Brighton based vintage clothes shop. They have even, apparently, produced a whole album entitled “Business is Dead” about the struggles of keeping an independent outlet and a burgeoning musical career alive. Their onstage output very much matches the lived in threads that Olly trades in during daytime hours. They are 60s and 70s blues Rock but by way of the 90s revival. It feels like they have discovered the grizzled southern sound through the filter of the Black Crowes, Primal Scream and Reef. In the form of Tom Elliot they even have their own Bez (though to be honest with probably more musical pedigree), who hoicks his tambourine around like a weapon and provides a soulful complement to Olly’s purrs. The music is short, sharp and straightforward. Nothing outstays its welcome and there are no attempts to wallow in flagellating flashy solos. It is obvious it is Olly’s band and he comes across as a larger-than-life geezer with lashings of energy and charisma. A perfectly serviceable and rather enjoyable aperitif before the main event.
There is a point during the fifth track where it all clicks into perfect harmony. We have spent so long looking for rock n' roll's chosen ones that we sometimes forget what is in front of our very faces. Rival Sons have been with us now for 15 years and have churned out an impressive eight albums in that time, but we have never really realised what we have got with them. ‘Manifest Destiny, Part 1’, is astonishing. A slow building jam of dexterous wonder. It is a hair on the back of the neck moment as the band contort together create something that is far greater than the sum of their parts. It is not about how well or how fast they play; it works because the musical components meld together effortlessly. It is about the space and feel as opposed to virtuoso musical ability.
On top of the exquisite but also mind blowingly simplistic musical offering is Jay Buchanan’s voice. It is incredible. He is blessed with a depth and range most rock stars would sell their soul to the devil for. During the acoustic interlude of ‘Shooting Stars’ it gets the space to really breathe. His vocal tones are deeply evocative and full of emotive pathos. He doesn't just hit all the high notes; it holds onto them squeezing out their emphatic life energy. It is beautiful and deeply melodic, but it has enough grizzled energy to bring to life the tales of heartbreak and romantic suffering.
Like Creeping Jean, Rival Sons incessantly mine from the rich musical vein of the 70s. But rather than present back their efforts unaltered, there is a distinct modern twist put onto these ages’ old riffs and rhythm. Rivals Sons are very much tied to the alter of the originators of our music, but they also understand that it has moved on since then and you get slivers of recognition that makes you realise that they have indeed listened to nu-metal, metalcore and even death metal. ‘Feral Roots’ opens up in expansive wonder. This is music you lose yourself in, close your eyes and just let your mind drift on its exquisitely contoured waves.
The fact that these shows are not necessarily promoting anything means that the band have far more freedom in the domain of the set list. In fact, the only album that we don't get any material from is “Darkfighter”’s more frothy twin “Lightbringer”. They effortlessly wander around the back catalogue, even pulling out numbers like ‘Sacred Tongue’ and ‘Tied Up’ that had been benched for a good while. The God's honest truth is that Rival Sons are just emphatically wonderful this evening. They are the warm embrace of rock 'n' roll goodness that we didn't know we needed in our lives. What may have been a makeshift show to ensure that they weren’t sitting twiddling their thumbs in a hotel room is turned into a veritable triumph. A brilliant exposition in rock 'n' roll that proves that perhaps what we've all been looking for has been under our god darn noses the entire time.
Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Rival Sons + Creeping Jean
