Gig Review: Hollow Souls, The Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham, West Sussex

Gig Review: Kris Barras’ Hollow Souls, The Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham, West Sussex

By Simon Green

Kris Barras first came to my attention back in 2017, at the Ramblin’ Man festival, when he and his band were providing backing for aspiring US country singer Caitlin Koch. All eyes were on the singer but ears were drawn to some tasty playing from the tattooed guitarist. His band subsequently became hot property on the blues rock circuit in the UK and I saw him a few times, most notably at the 100 Club in London when his star was rising fast and the combination of his explosive stage presence, incendiary guitar playing and killer songs made for a memorable evening. Since then, the musician and cage fighter has muscled up some more, given extra custom to his local tattoo parlour and moved towards a heavier sound. Luckily, he hasn’t totally forsaken those blues roots.

He may look like someone that would make you break out into a cold sweat if you saw him coming towards you down a dark alley late at night, but Kris Barras has clearly an eclectic approach when it comes to making music. In addition to the ability noted above to crank out some stylish country licks, the guitarist has also toured as part of the blues heavyweights, The Supersonic Blues Machine. As another string to his musical bow, he has created another performing and recording alter ego in the form of the imaginatively titled Hollow Souls, which is co-fronted by singer Phoebe Jane. The band have released a very punchy six track EP, which features a number of guest performances by artists, including singer Elles Bailey and Chris Tapp from the Cold Stares, and are currently on a multi-date UK tour.

Travelling down to the south coast to see them, I noticed the weather looking grim. The heavens opened just as I parked. The venue was like a haven from the storm. This was just the night when something special was needed to make you forget the rain trickling down your neck. The band duly delivered. The band leader had joked at the start of the set that they had considered playing their six original songs twice to fill out the time. In fact, the lack of specific Hollow Souls material meant that the band delivered a delicious feast of a set that included some of the Kris Barras Band’s live bangers, like ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘Propane’ from 2018’s album The Divine & The Dirty, as well as some blues and rock standards, in addition to the new numbers.

The set started with one of the new songs, ‘Borderline’, which set the breathless tone for the rest of the evening, with its compelling low-end riff from the twin guitars of Barras and long-time associate Josiah Manning (who spent the evening alternating between keys and guitar), and big, anthemic chorus, powered by the dual vocals of Phoebe Jane and Kris Barras. The addition of a female vocalist not only helped deliver the powerful melodies of the new songs but added a captivating visual element to the performance and a double dose of onstage charisma. While the applause for the opening number was still at its height the band launched into Led Zep’s ‘Rock and Roll’, which occupied the same adrenalin filled musical zone as the opener.

Barras mentioned that the band was meant to reflect the blues side of his musical outlook and that was displayed in their very bluesy ‘Tearing Me Apart’ from the KB Band’s Lucky Thirteen album as well as a long version of ‘Stormy Monday’, which was a showcase for Phoebe Jane to give her vocal interpretation of the old chestnut as well as for Barras to bend the strings of his Telecaster to find the bluest of notes. The new numbers went down a bomb, especially ‘Burn It To The Ground’ and ‘Borderline’, which already sound like live classics. Barras has a real knack for writing instantly memorable rockers that seem to connect immediately with an audience. After powerful versions of ‘My Parade’, with its defiant and strident lyrics, and ‘Hail Mary’, both featuring audience singalongs, the band left the stage with the crowd buzzing, before returning with support artist Troy Redfern for a raucous version of the much covered ‘Goin’ Down’.

The Hollow Souls aren’t redefining rock n’ roll, or even blues rock, but if you want to see a band that creates its own energy and has a great set list that most other bands in the same space can’t match, and which they perform with all the hair-raising grace of a Formula One car taking a tight bend, then this is a show that you’ll want to catch.

Watch “Bad Things”

 

Hollow Souls Band website