Live Review: The Wildhearts - Epic, Norwich
11th March 2025
Support: Dirt Box Disco and Jim Jones All Stars
Words & Photos: Tom Atkin
Back to my local for tonight, a great trio of bands that feel miles away from each other in terms of genre, but sit surprisingly well when on the same bill.
Starting proceedings almost straight after the 7.30 door opening, is the alternative punk rock band Dirt Box Disco. Sadly with them playing just after the doors have opened, the crowd hasn’t exactly filled out too much , however this does not stop them having a blast.
It is a proper unfiltered and fun punk performance from a band that admitted themselves they are used to playing in bars and peoples sheds, however they have scaled up their performance incredibly well.
Whilst it seems not many of crowd know the songs that are blasted out they are certainly getting into the music. Every song is played with a great amount of energy and skill, a great warm up for a fun night of music.
Taking the stage next is the eight, yes eight, piece band called Jim Jones All Stars. I had no idea what to expect when they came up, but it turns out they are an absolutely amazing mix of classic rock and blues. It is just pure high energy music that really give you a feel good feeling inside. The inclusion of two saxophones and a keyboard player works brilliantly, the riffs are amazing, and Jim Jones’s vocals are honestly just incredible.
It felt as though every song had its own unique features, however fitted together on the set perfectly. Before reading up on them, I would of pegged them as being an American band as they just seemed to capture that vibe for me. They are infact from good ol’ London, which I think just adds to their charm. Their album 'Aint No Peril' has now been added to my playlists, and I will most definitely be looking out for them in the future.
Now for tonight’s stars, The Wildhearts. This tour is in support of their newest album 'The Satanic Rights of the Wildhearts' but that hasn’t seemed to influence the set list all that much this evening. It seems like they very much wanted to put on a show that fans of all their music would enjoy, a nice amount of variation from their great back catalogue.
It is no secret that the line up of The Wildhearts has changed a fair amount over the years, With this being the second time that I have seen them and a complete different line up (excluding Ginger). That does not take away from the fact that they perform exceptionally well their current lineup.
Ginger is hilarious as well, consistent joking and talk between songs, poking fun at his guitar tech about his guitar not being in tune, yet it sounded spot on. For a band that has been knocking about since the late 80’s their sound still sounds current, 'Vanilla Radio' was released back in the early 2000’s and yet it sounds just as good now as it did back then.
This current era of The Wildhearts, seems to be a really good one. A solid performance of the older songs, and the newer songs really capturing The Wildhearts sound. I hope they stick around and we get more out of them in coming years.
Photo Credit: Tom Atkin
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