Concert Review: Robert Jon & The Wreck, The Bourne Music Club

Photo: Simon Green

Concert Review: Robert Jon & The Wreck, The Bourne Music Club Sittingbourne, Kent, November 20, 2024

By Simon Green

In troubled times there is nothing more soothing to the soul than the healing power of music. When the music is being delivered by the dynamic live juggernaut that is Robert Jon & The Wreck, it’s like a shot of electricity through the veins. The band has attracted a big following in the UK in recent years and each return tour to these shores is eagerly anticipated. The Bourne Music Club booked them during their initial foray into the UK and they have commendably returned the favour by coming back to the venue regularly.

Photo: Simon Green

What’s a measure of a hot band? One clue is a sold-out concert and an expectant audience that is taken from a lively simmer to boiling point in the space of the first number of the evening. To continue the analogy, this band really cooks! It’s classic American rock’n’roll with a bluesy southern vibe (particularly when they swing into some fine Allman-esque harmony guitar lines) played by five guys that individually have the technical goods and collectively deliver one banging tune after another with the flowing energy and skill that comes from non-stop touring, fuelled by a creative force that means they continue to expand their potential setlist with excellent new material.

The behatted Robert Jon Burrison on guitar and vocals has a classic rock voice; Henry James on lead guitar and crazy afro pumped up the volume every time he sidled to the front of the stage. Warren Murrel on bass and shades visually reflected the energy and enthusiasm of the band as he continued to throw shapes all night. Relative newcomer Jake Abernathie on keys was excellent throughout and helped raised the temperature with some wild synth interplay with Henry James towards the end of the set. Andrew Espantman on drums was solid as a rock and looked like he enjoyed playing (which isn’t always the case with fellow percussionists).

Photo: Simon Green

With many bands the introduction of new songs in a set is not always greeted with huge enthusiasm and touring a new album can be tricky, not so for this band. Their latest album, the superb Red Moon Rising, has been out for a little while but, even so, the seamless way that numbers from the album like the title track, ‘Rager’, ‘Boss Man’ and ‘Life Between The Lines’ fitted into the set without affecting quality control, is a testament to their songwriting ability. All their songs are stuffed full of killer riffs, played with a dexterous touch, as well as powerful choruses that are just made for audience participation, particularly when they throw in a modern rock standard like ‘Oh Miss Carolina’, which was a cue for some magnificent mass vocal contributions, in variable keys, from the bopping crowd.

Ending the set with the rollocking gospel of ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’ was the piece de resistance, striking the match to the flambe. The band naturally returned, to prevent a mass riot, and tore the house down further with habitual encore ‘Cold Night’. The air outside The Bourne Music Club was in fact rather on the chilly side but, inside, the temperature was well and truly tropical. What a performance! Spirits were lifted and faith in the restorative power of music restored. Robert Jon & The Wreck should be prescribed by doctors as a tonic for the troops; a treatment that could be possibly addictive, but in a good way.
 
Watch “Red Moon Rising”