Bristol-based Sons of Liberty have teamed up with Sunderland-based Thieves of Liberty for the unsurprisingly-named 12-date UK tour: The Tour of Liberty.
Thieves of Liberty opened proceedings with a set of high-energy hard-rock encompassing a spectacular twin-guitar assault from guitarists Kieran Wilson and Liam Lindsley, powerful vocals from frontman, James Boak, and delivering a slew of memorable songs off their debut album, Shangri-La. This young rock band have been garnering some rave reviews of late, with comparisons to mega-league rock institutions like Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Queen no less. That’s not all just hyperbole either. Though I haven’t seen them before they are well worth keeping an eye on.
I first became familiar with the Southern Rock-inspired Sons of Liberty when they were Introducing Stage winners at Minehead Butlins back in 2019, returning to the main stage for a well-received performance the following year. Back then, they were fronted by Rob Cooksley (AKA Greyfox Growl), whose eccentrically charismatic stage persona was very much part of the overall SoL package. For me, however, the arrival of vocalist Russ Grimmett and the subsequent release of the band’s third album, The Detail Is in The Devil, marked a significant turning point. Grimmett is such a great singer with such a fantastic vocal range that Sons of Liberty have followed Deep Purple and Iron Maiden in being one of that select number of rock bands who go from strength to strength after replacing the frontman who helped give them their initial breakthrough. Never an easy feat to pull off, Grimmett is a superb fit for the band giving them greater depth and a more polished presentation, with the whole band creating some incredible music together. They are now in a whole different league.
Indeed, while there’s a small clutch of songs from the band’s first two albums, it’s material from the band’s third album and their first with Grimmett that heavily dominates the set. Whether it’s because I’ve been playing it so much these past few months or simply that it’s a great album just rammed full of catchy, memorable tunes (probably a mixture of both to be fair!) these feel like songs that have been around for decades, not months. ‘Time To Fly’, ‘Light the Fuse’ and ‘Tertulia Time’ the three songs which open tonight’s set are all bonafide classics, the latter with a chorus like some long-lost ‘80s stadium rocker.
Huge riffs, unforgettable choruses, a monster rhythm section, stunning guitar solos and powerful vocals – all the ingredients are there for what I want from a truly great hard rock band.
This is a band that does light and shade though and one that draws from a wide palette of musical influences. There’s a change of mood and a change of pace, for example, with the semi-acoustic ‘Hawk Men Come’, the band’s powerful and moving hymn to the people of Ukraine.
As well as a smattering of earlier material like ‘Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief’ from the band’s debut album (which provides an opportunity for a crowd sing-along), there’s also an airing for a couple of new songs that didn’t originally make it to last year’s album. The unremitting wall of sound that is ‘Full Force Five’ and the defiant swagger of ‘My Town’ are ample evidence that these guys don’t look like they’ll be giving up on hitting us with plenty of great new tunes any time soon.
As proceedings start drawing to a close (and clearly demonstrating that Southern Rock was never just about whiskey-soaked hellraisin’ and over-confident displays of machismo) Grimmett introduces the very Skynyrd-ish and really rather lovely ‘Walk With You’, a touching anthem of solidarity for anyone struggling with their mental health. Then there’s just time for a blast of ‘Ruby Starr’, the band’s tribute to the female Southern Rock vocalist of that name, marking the end of another triumphant set from Sons of Liberty.
https://sonsoflibertyband.com/
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