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There is something special about The Wildhearts and a Saturday night, they go hand in hand, and if ever there was a band to help release the pent-up frustration of the last 13 months or so, then that band would be The Wildhearts. Live audience or not, put Ginger, CJ, Ritch, and Danny in a room together and they are going to come up with something magical, and that’s exactly what this specially curated “By Request” live stream gig was – magical.
If you have been following Ginger on social media then you will know that The Wildhearts have been recording a new album with the ever-reliable Dave Draper. Posts on social media show the individual members in the studio with Draper, covid regulations, and all that, but tonight, it was the alternative Fab Four playing together in one room. Despite jokes about “lockdown weight”, the guys look amazing, and it’s obvious from the off, just how much they have missed this.
As touched on before, the setlist is “by request”, an unofficial Wildhearts “greatest hits” set. Early doors, ‘TV Tan’ and ‘Everlone’ are immense, with Ginger coaxing some audience participation out of those watching at home. ‘Suckerpunch’ is as brutal on Ritch Battersby, the man behind the kit, as it ever is, and Ginger introduces it by saying “I like to play this one, cos it’s really hard to fuck it up….watch me fuck it up now”. ‘Greetings From Shitsville’, however, he doesn’t like so much, saying after barrelling through it: “…does anyone mind if we never play that one again?”, with CJ offering “Time to put it out to pasture, with all the other pit ponies…”. All the songs that you would expect in a “by request” set are all present and correct, and for good reason; they are total bangers. ‘Vanilla Radio’, ‘Caffeine Bomb’, ‘My Baby Is a Headfuck’ – any band worth their salt would kill to have these in their set, and it is quite emotional hearing them, without actually being there. That’s nothing compared to the moment when ‘Sick Of Drugs’ kicks in and there is no audience on hand to help out with the intro, even on the third replay of the gig, it’s an instant reaction to stand up, arms aloft, and scream the intro until one is hoarse. One of those songs that coax the goosebumps to come out of hibernation, regardless of whether you are hearing it in the flesh or not.
The Wildhearts are not a legacy band though, lest we forget that the most recent studio album ‘Renaissance Men’ was THE album of 2019, and wasn’t bettered in 2020 either. The idea of tonight’s set without at least a handful of tracks from it was a Princess Bride-sized “inconceivable”, and The Wildhearts didn’t disappoint. ‘Disloacted’ opened the set as it also does the album, and fuck me bandy because it has gotten better and better over the two years or so; especially the “Don’t leave me, don’t leave me/Baby don’t leave me alone” part, which should have had everyone howling at the moon. ‘Diagnosis’ is another belter and it forms a killer one-two of recent tracks with the glorious ‘Let ‘Em Go’. Even though everyone knew it was happening, it was still a thrill when Frank Turner came out to reprise his role on the album version of the latter, and then stuck around for the riotous romp of ‘I Wanna Go Where the People Go’. Once the last strains faded out, the screen fades to black and the show is over…or is it? Those who purchased the “deluxe edition” of the ticket for tonight are treated to an “encore” in the shape of a brand-new track – ‘Splitter’. Taken from the forthcoming album ‘21st Century Love Songs’, ‘Splitter’ is immense (not just for Ginger playing slide guitar), and proves that the quality that The Wildhearts produced on both ‘Renaissance Men’ and the follow-up mini-album ‘Diagnosis’, has continued over into 2021. In all, tonight’s performance is best described as life-affirming.
Some streamed gigs have been hit and miss, but the sound and picture quality on this one was perfect, no complaints at all, and Dave Draper has done his usual sterling job on the audio mix. Does this guy ever rest though? The band sounded great (it’s impossible not to smile when Danny appears), and more importantly, they sound as relevant as ever. Modern society keeps on giving them ammunition, and they are taking that ammunition and turning it into music that means so much to so many. The Wildhearts community is just that, a community, and one that is not going anywhere soon. Don’t forget to check out the extra footage available to deluxe ticket holders, the interview where Danny talks about his mental health with Frank Turner is both raw, and vital viewing.
Purchase a 30 Day Pass here, the ticket will give you unlimited access to The Wildhearts’ Live Online Concert as well as:
+ Bonus: Encore
+ Bonus: Behind the Scenes
+ Bonus: Frank Turner Interviews The Wildhearts
+ Bonus: Frank Turner Interviews Danny McCormack
+ Bonus: Frank Turner Interviews Ginger Wildheart
+ Bonus: Ritch Battersby on Drumming
+ Bonus: Stabal Kitchen with CJ Wildheart
Live images – Dave Jamieson – Glasgow Kelvingrove/Rob Wilkins – Ramblin’ Man Fair
