THE WILDHEARTS
30 YEAR ITCH (LIVE)
(Round Records)
(An unashamedly gushy and personal review. “Out of the misery.”)
9/10
After the critical acclaim of 2019’s ‘Rennaisance Men’ and subsequent mini-album ‘Diagnosis,’ The Wildhearts return with a live release that will help to blow away those (incoming) lockdown blues. Live or in the studio, The Wildhearts have never pulled any punches and Ginger’s life hardened vocal cords have left him with a beautiful, raspy, void filling Lemmy punched larynx. To his right C.J’s vocals remain both smooth and tuneful and yes you can hear his guitar. Chuck in Ritch Battersby’s drumming assault and you’ve pretty much got a purring F.1 Rock ‘N’ Roll engine. However, it’s Danny McCormack’s diesel swigging bass that envelopes all four ‘Heart kissed corners and snuggly wraps them in a smouldering family blanket.
Show opener ‘Dislocated’ is just a snot hissing beast of a cut that thrashes with a deep slicing frustration which is perfectly encapsulated by Ginger’s “Baby don’t leave me aloooooone” line before, as one, the band explodes back into life. It’s a devastatingly honest track. Next up is the classic ‘Everlone’ and suddenly I’m welling up, two fucking songs in, welling up like a kid at a funeral. Herein lies the addictive quality of The Wildhearts, those in the know will never leave their side and those who don’t may never fully comprehend the magnetic pull and emotional investment many have pinned onto their sleeve, torso or heart. Put simply, The Wildhearts are for life. Set staple ‘Suckerpunch’ is volleyed out before the industrial thump of ‘Anthem’ puts Danny McCormack front and centre and its a noise and vision many thought they’d never witness ever again…and once more I’m done. Maybe it’s the threat of no live gigs for another twelve months that’s making me go all manopausal but ‘30 Year Itch (Live)’ is certainly making me feel maudlin for plastic pint pots, sweaty punters, overflowing urinals and drunken singing. I would (and have) argued with anyone that ‘Diagnosis’ is not just the bands best track but the best “Rock” track of the last couple of decades. If the shimmering mixture of Slade, Motorhead, and Sex Pistols isn’t enough on its own then the cocktail cherry on top is Ginger’s unnerving gift of being able to continually write lyrics that pierce the temple with a nail gun. Your own mental health matters and this is battered into the lungs of sanity as ‘Diagnosis’ pours out of the speakers.
Fan favourite ‘TV Tan’ is followed by the anthemic ‘Jackson Whites’ and a spat out ‘Let ‘Em Go’. The mainstream throwaway ‘Vanilla Radio’ still evokes memories of a drizzly Distortion Festival in Nottingham 2002 before the rarely heard live ‘Urge’ and my personal fave ‘Mazel Tov Cocktail’ whizz past as do the faces, smells, chants and bear hugs that you only get a ‘Hearts show. It’s fair to say that this album has tugged the nostalgic heartstrings but not just for The Wildhearts but for gigs, going out, normality and that much need human interaction. The sing-a-long ‘Someone Who Won’t Let Me Go’ is passed by a rib-cracking ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised’ from the equally stunning self-titled “White” album. The show-closing final trio of ‘Caffeine Bomb’, ‘Love U Till I Don’t’ and ‘I Wanna Go (Where The People Go)’ (hey hey hey) complete this deliciously addictive sun-kissed expresso shot of life, love and blood pumping Rock ‘N’ Roll. “Let it shine, let it shine.”
Guy Shankland
’30 Year Itch (Live)’ is released on December 4th Via Cargo Records, link below.
Round Records has a huge collection of Ginger’s and The Wildhearts impressive back catalogue and loads of official merch, link below,
