Exeter Cavern
Wednesday 2/9/26

Review and photos – Rob and Danni Wilkins

After a summer of festivals big and small, it’s great to be back in a tiny, sweaty rock pub where the stage is inches away, the speakers deafening, and the lighting…challenging!

Entertaining us tonight are two bands from across the pond: Canada’s The Damn Truth and, kicking off the evening, Pennsylvania’s Crobot.

The last time I saw Brandon Yeagley and co on stage was at Steelhouse Festival a few years back, where I loved both the music and the glorious excess of the singer’s stagecraft. On a tiny stage I fully expected him to tone it down a touch, but from the first notes of “Battle Cry” it was clear that wasn’t even an option.

As the band launched full throttle, he pushed the mic stand toward the crowd, but lost his grip on the cord and suddenly one audience member received a microphone at high speed. He simply grinned sheepishly, high-fived the gent in question, and repeated the theatrics seconds later, this time successfully. Add in leaps, kicks, hip shakes, the most intense of eye contact, and a litany of tricks with said microphone, and it was impossible to take your eyes off him!

From “Battle Cry”, the band raced through and eight song set that didn’t let up for an instant. Guitarist Chris Bishop almost matches Yeagley for activity, swinging his guitar around in an arc whilst ripping out the most delicious of riffs. The brothers Jansen meanwhile lay down a fearsome rhythm that gives those two the framework to expand.

It isn’t just theatrics up front! Yeagley’s voice earns him the right to play, and the poses and gymnastics are punctuation rather than the storyline. Somehow Yeagley even ends up on Bishop’s shoulders at one point, avoiding the low ceiling by inches and clinging on despite both being utterly soaked in sweat by that point.

As the echoes of “Low Life” die away, enthusiastically sent on its way by a crowd whose support has grown throughout the set, the sheer pace of the delivery is revealed when the band have time for not just one, but two extra songs! Clearly spontaneous and unrehearsed as they decide the first one on the spot and then Brandon looks more than a little surprised when Nico Jansen launches them into the second with no further discussion.

Glorious way to fill the room with energy, insanely loud, gloriously intense and deliciously attention-grabbing rock and roll.

Crobot have headline shows in Edinburgh, Stockport, and Tunbridge Wells to be followed by an appearance at London Metalfest in Camden on Saturday, September 12th. More information HERE.

A short break and “White Rabbit” fills the air as Lee-La Baum places a joss stick on the stage and sings along as she is joined by Tom Shemer, PY Letellier and Dave Traina on stage before ripping into “Be Somebody”.

I have seen The Damn Truth several times now, but it is the other half’s first time, and as Lee-La warms up her utterly sublime pipes, I turn to see her mouth open in disbelief. My Lord, this human can sing. At first, Lee-La’s presence is somewhat hypnotic. Dressed in white, on a stage with monochromatic lighting, she very much has the spotlight, but as the set progresses, you start to pick up on the sheer musical ability of those around her.

Shemer, standing out in red as if directed by Steven Spielberg, shreds some scintillating solos. PY’s bass shifts from funk to heavy and back with ease, and behind them all, Traina batters the living heck out of his kit. Each member gets a chance to shine, but the solo opportunities leave you wanting more and are simply a brief chance for the others to draw a breath. The sexual chemistry between Baum and Shemer is clear, with a stolen kiss at one point and a story of how they met, naked, at a hippy festival.

Songwise, “This Is Who We Are Now” introduces the band biographically, and “Lonely” defines just how utterly spectacular Lee-La’s voice is when the leash is let off. Following on from “Lonely”, Shemer takes the limelight during “Look Innocent” when he disappears offstage, reappearing in the midst of the crowd for a walkabout. Ending with the encore of “Devilish Folk”, the response from the crowd, which had been building throughout the evening in the most organic of ways, was one of adulation, much deserved for a standout performance.

The queue at the merch afterwards, with Lee-La still catching her breath whilst posing for selfies, said it all!

Catch The Damn Truth on tour with Europe during September/October 2026

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN – 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS: THE DAMN TRUTH

30 September – Glasgow, SEC Armadillo, UK
2 October – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall, UK
3 October – London, Eventim Apollo, UK
5 October – Arnhem, Musis Sacrum, Netherlands
6 October – Paris, L’Olympia, France
8 October – Barcelona, Poble Espanyol, Spain
9 October – Bilbao, Arena Miribilla, Spain
10 October – Madrid, La Cubierta, Spain
12 October – Lausanne, Salle Métropole, Switzerland
13 October – Zurich, Volkshaus, Switzerland
14 October – Milan, Alcatraz, Italy
16 October – Stuttgart, Liederhalle, Germany
17 October – Vienna, Gasometer, Austria
19 October – Berlin, Admiralspalast, Germany
20 October – Warsaw, COS Torwar, Poland
22 October – Frederiksberg, Falconer Salen, Denmark
23 October – Gothenburg, Sweden
24 October – Stockholm, Sweden
26 October – Oslo, Sentrum Scene, Norway