Soley Mourning and The Resurrection...

The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton 27th January 2012

My horoscope had predicted that Friday 27th January was going to be a challenging day which would best be relieved through some means of self indulgent pleasure. As the first part of this prophecy had certainly proved true, there was only one thing left to do and that was to head on over to The Slade Rooms for an evening of Soley Mourning and The Resurrection!

So first off and opening up tonight were new kids on the block, The Resurrection. Hailing from the Wolverhampton area, this foursome look set to make their mark on the local scene with a musical style bourne within the era of punk rock, then transported through the age of new wave to finally be given a shaking of current day indie rock. Their songs speak for themselves and have an air of rebelliousness about them which was readily emphasised by the intonational vocals and stage pacings of front man, Mr Ryan Higgs. Time to get recording guys me thinks, and spread the word as you've got a good thing going on here!

Headlining band Soley Mourning, have graced the shores of the West Midlands for several years now and with three studio albums already in the hat plus a live recording, these guys have already established a healthy following of fans both locally and further afield. They seem to have pretty much mastered all the ingredients required to become a serious contender in today's music industry, with songs that are well written, catchy and can demonstrate the degree of virtuoso skills that are up there with many a household name.

As they took to the stage, not a moment was spared in getting the groove going. With tonight's set list heavily favouring songs from their latest album and opening up with 'But If Defeat Was Ever Glorious', the audience were given their introduction to the soaring vocals and emotive pipes of Mat Partridge. This song was deftly followed up with the title track off the album, 'Zaire' and with the spectacular guitar work of Andy Guest and Tony Chambers weaving it's magic into the mix, the mood in the audience was fast becoming charged as the band played on. Albeit Soley Mourning are Rock 'n' Roll to the core, they are by no means a one trick pony and proof of point tonight were the two outstanding songs 'Gimme Sumthin' with it's blistering wholesome funk underbelly and the very laid back R & B swell of 'Blue Bourbon'. Both of these songs showcase the other sides to Soley Mourning and go above and beyond proving just how good this band really are. Brinigng tonight's set to an end with 'Goin Down To Rio' presented yet another massive audience pleaser, with the rhythmic skills of bass player Dattani being a contributing factor. Luckily, there was no going home tonight without an encore and with 'Deadman's Town' being a must have inclusion, the cheers for more served their purpose. Sadly, time was now tight and 'Double Drop' brought tonight's encore to a close, but within a moment of Ash Garbett's opening hypnotic drum beats, hands were up and the adrenaline fuelled atmosphere stepped up another notch causing the vocals to disapear under the audiences' chorus of 'Fingers Up'. What a way to end the show!

I really admire these guys for the sheer vitality and energy that goes into their performance, as they somehow manage to make every moment on stage count. One other thing that must be mentioned in recognition of such a great gig, was the audience's participation - if ever an atmosphere could be captured and kept for prosperity, then this was certainly that occasion.

Words and Photography by Sue Wardle.