LIVE REVIEW: Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons @ The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
Well and truly into the swing of things with the winter blues, Monday nights need somewhat of an excitement boost. Enter PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS with their brand of boisterous rock n’ roll. Seeking some solace from the miserable cold and darkness, 250 metal fans adorned in battle jackets with one patch uniting them all filtered into The Craufurd Arms.
Billing themselves as “metal and western” are Southampton three-piece THE OUTLAW ORCHESTRA. They strolled onto the stage with little fanfare leaving many to wonder if the show was about to start. What followed had us conflicted.
There is no doubt THE OUTLAW ORCHESTA are great musicians. The combination of rock riffs with the country twang of the electric banjo made for surprisingly good time. Many looked to the floor at one time or another wondering if the white arrows were meant to lead them in a metal square dance. On paper, country metal shouldn’t work but it does. See You In Hell had many a foot stomping. Back To Georgia’s tale of speeding across America’s highways tickled our taste buds for some southern rock. Even the cover of THE PROCLAIMERS‘ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) had a certain kick of freshness as the band’s “prince of pound” Ryan Smith [drums] glistened with sweat.
The set was somewhat of a tour around the musical oddities as we were treated to banjo melodies, a salacious solo on a power slide for new track Blame The Horse, and metal riffs from an electric ukulele. Faint enquiries about what certain instruments were called were quickly followed by another: “did he really just say that?” With story-based jokes trampling the line of misogyny, the band’s between-song banter is awkward at best. Anecdotes of women being incapable of changing car tyres were met with uncomfortable chuckles and the odd cringe from female patrons. Commitment to the bit outweighed the notion of reading the room, deflating the atmosphere.
Rating: 6/10
The choice of change-over playlist was bittersweet that Monday night. Consisting entirely of WOLF JAW, a sad chatter filled the room. Following the passing of their front man Tom Leighton in October, the band had to pull out of this tour. Dedications to Tom would come throughout the night, the first from stand in FLORENCE BLACK.
Fresh from the announcement of supporting the KRIS BARRASS BAND on their tour this coming March, the Welsh three piece walked into the stage to a chorus of deep cheers and raised pints. FLORENCE BLACK hit us with the brute force of their decibels as Zulu swung into the room. Jordan Evans’ bass lines vibrated through the floor, dictating the sludgy groove we melted into. Tristan Thomas’ solos for Deep End swept us away with the tide, allowing us to drown in the cacophony of blues-rooted filth.
Scrunched faces of riff appreciation altered the faces of many an audience member as Smoke poured from the speakers. While FLORENCE BLACK engaged in very little crowd interaction, the sheer quality of their live performance meant they didn’t have to. Thomas had the crowd in the palm of his guitar brandishing hand. Their faithful cover of BUDGIE’s Breadfan rounded off a short but sweet set from the up and comers. With the last chord ringing from the speakers, many asked when the Welsh brood would be headlining a tour of their own. That question may be unanswerable for now, but the answer will be more than welcome when it comes.
Rating: 7/10
It seemed no coincidence Phil Campbell and his brood played in a venue where a tribute to his MOTӦRHEAD brethren stands in stained glass. With LEMMY KILMISTER, DAVID BOWIE, and PRINCE holding court in the bar, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS took to the stage to raucous cheers.
With newly recruited vocalist Joel Peters at the helm, the Welsh hard rockers wasted little time jumping into the thick of things. We’re The Bastards called the brothers and sisters to arms in scenes of grand unification. Against the tight rhythm section of bassist Tyla and drummer Dane Campbell, the guitar slinging duo of Phil and Todd Campbell wove devastating riffs and infectious melodies amongst each other. The only downfall in the opening few songs, and something which would come up again later, was Peters’ vocals were a little low. The crowd more than made up for this within anthemic choruses but it was a disservice for Peters’ debut in front of faithful fans.
Flitting from the debut album We’re The Bastards to 2016’s self-titled EP and 2018’s The Age Of Absurdity, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS were hellbent on creating a night of unadulterated hard rock bliss. Bite My Tongue was snappy in its disdain. Peters’ spitting “I never asked for your opinion” oozed melody and venom in its delivery. Big Mouth had their legions of fans bouncing around the room to the band’s delectable groove. Even the slower Dark Days didn’t dampen the evening. Giving the fans a moment to catch themselves and snap a couple photographs of the guitar legend, this was by no means a snooze fest.
Having a smorgasbord of material to pick a setlist from, it came as a surprise there were a total of seven cover songs. These Old Boots from Phil Campbell’s solo record Old Lions Still Roar sounded great but was a little misplaced. On the other end of the spectrum, MOTӦRHEAD’s Ace Of Spades took its rightful place as a highlight of the evening. Lemmy’s lyrics of card and dice rattled against the walls and echoed within our ears for hours to come.
PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS delivered a set of rock n’ roll damnation in a time where we needed a band like this to shake us from our winter blues. Despite the technical teething problems and perhaps misplaced choices in setlist the band were a well-oiled machine. Giving fans old and new a distraction from the cold air of winter’s reality for an hour or two.
Rating: 7/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Milton Keynes from Serena Hill Photography here:
