Live Review: Wayward Sons - Glasgow
Support: Muddibrooke, Blue Nicotine
19th April 2024
Words & Photos: Laura Muraska-Ross
If you like classic metal reminiscent of the good old 80s, then you’ll love Wayward Sons if you haven’t already heard of them. This one found me at The Cathouse in Glasgow city centre, for a night of good music courtesy of Wayward Sons on the last night of their UK tour, and their support acts who were Muddi Brooke and a local support band called Blue Nicotine.
Arriving at 7.15pm I was just in time to catch Blue Nicotine’s last two songs. I must admit after hearing these final moments of their set, I was gutted I had missed the rest. They had heavy riffs, powerful vocals and huge stage presence to boot! They have been making quite an impact on the Scottish rock scene recently and just released their debut album ‘Into The Blue’ at the end of last year which, after having a listen, sounds like they poured blood, sweat and tears in to. Definitely a really solid starting ground for more albums to come. This band is a sure thing, and I can see them playing festivals like Download, in the near future if they keep on this trajectory!
Next to take to the stage were MuddiBrooke who were the main support for the headliners. When the band from Derby took to the stage, my true first thoughts were ‘damn, I wish I looked that cool’. With their strong 70’s style and aesthetic, it was hard to not instantly be drawn in. I am a sucker for any band that has a strong sense of who they are and make it apparent from the offset. Like, you know what you’re going to get before you’ve even heard them.
As soon as the three-piece started playing the crowd were loving it. Loud guitar riffs and lead vocals from Brooke, pounding bass from bassist Anna and rhythmic beats from drummer Morgan. Think of all your favourite female rock artists from the 70s and early 00’s, put them together and you’ve pretty much got the sound of Muddi Brooke. The one thing I really loved and picked out most from their set is that you can tell the songwriting is true to them and what they believe in. At one point Brooke spoke to the crowd about being yourself, being proud of it and not letting people get to you, a sentiment I think everyone needs to hear more of.
If you want to catch them live, and I highly recommend you do, then they will be playing a whole host of dates throughout the summer now that the WS tour has finished. Starting with a headline show at Grand Central in Manchester on 1st May. Keep an out for these guys.
Lastly but certainly not least. We reach the headliners Wayward Sons a band formed from a dream that singer Toby Jepson (Little Angels, Gun, Fastway…) had to form a band where there was complete creative freedom with writing and original music. If you want to read the full journey of the band, which is an interesting one you can find a pretty in depth bio on their website here.
On to the music and Wayward Sons opened with a big one. ‘Alive’ just oozes classic heavy rock from start to finish so it was no surprise that the crowd of adoring fans went wild when they started playing this. Toby’s voice reminds me a of a mix of Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and Audioslave and Vince Neil from Motley Crue. I know that sounds like a conflict of styles but there were just elements to his voice that reminded me of both (and hey, both iconic so not a bad thing, right?).
The whole time they were playing you could just see how happy they were to be back on stage playing their songs to a room full of people that never stopped screaming and cheering. It was like being at a concert in the hay day of rock/metal and imagining what it would have been like to witness bands like Iron Maiden or Gun n Roses for the first time in an intimate venue. Wayward Sons is just a complete trip down memory lane, and their song writing is a brilliant mix of the four members influences.
Bassist Nic Wastell was a pure joy to watch as he bounced and twirled around stage while still somehow managing to sound sick as hell on the Bass. The talented Sam Wood was providing all the guitar riffs and licks you could ask for while oozing complete cool in his corduroy shirt, flared jeans and heeled boots! Then Finishing off the foursome was Drummer Phil Martini (I mean what a cool name) who was grinning ear to ear for most of the set while keeping the crowd going mad with strong bass and killer fills.
The whole set was amazing, and I am thoroughly glad I got to see them live. People were filling the whole room from corner to corner and even in the room next door, so it’s clear they could tour as many times as they wanted and will always have a strong fan base. As far as I can tell there are no more live dates scheduled at the moment, but I recommend you sign up to their mailing list if you don’t want to miss out when they come to town next. Absolutely cracking band live.
They ended things with a Little Angels cover ‘Small Talk/Young Gods’ going into a couple more songs before ending on my favourite song of theirs ‘Until the End’. By the sound of the crowd, I am not the only one who loved this. Great night, great line-up!
Photo Credits: Laura Muraska-Ross
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