Buckley Tivoli – 27/07/23
Of the newer bands on the circuit, Empyre and The Damn Truth are two of my favourites. What a great opportunity, then to see them at the Tivoli in Buckley the other week.
Empyre started proceedings and with only half an hour to play, had to cram in as much as they could. The set consisted of mainly songs from their new album, Relentless. This is a band who gets better every time I see them.
A band dedicated to ‘Killing the Vibe’ – I even have a T-shirt that says so – Empyre were just glorious at the Tiv. I saw one reviewer describe the band as ‘darkly beautiful‘ and that sums them up perfectly. ‘Hit and Run’ was hauntingly good, and Empyre staple ‘Only Way Out’ was incredible. Closing song ‘New Republic’ really packed a punch and even had the crowd singing along. I hope they weren’t enjoying themselves too much, that’s simply unheard of at an Empyre gig!!
The band are teasing some headline dates later in the year and if you can, you really need to go and experience them live. They are one of the best bands around at the moment!
The Damn Truth are another band I absolutely love. Hailing from Montreal, this is a real rock and roll band. The bands intro music is ‘Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit’ and this sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the evening. Lee-La and the rest of the band enter and launch into the opening song, ‘This is who We Are Now’. An absolute belter and Tom Shemerr’s guitar solo is exquisite.
The setlist is magnificent, ‘I’m Lonely’ is an early highlight. Tom’s blues intro, followed by some incredibly soulful lyrics, you can’t help but like this band! They are all on fire tonight, they really are something special. ‘Only Love’ follows and I think that is my favourite song from the band, the sound is stunning and those harmonies are great.
‘Look Innocent’ is another masterpiece in live performance, the drum solo that kicked the song off, the catchy riffs, the soul drenched vocals, perfect! Tom takes the opportunity to head out into the crowd during his solo, such an iconic moment in the show. Tom has recently been endorsed by Invaders amps and you know, his tone is sublime. Thicker, fatter and punchier than it used to be, the new amp makes an almighty difference. I loved it.
‘The Fire’, ‘Devilish Folk’ and ‘Tomorrow’ bring the electric set to a close. What a treat. This is a band who really know how to deliver a show; each member is on top of their game! I loved PY playing the bass on his head, reminding me of Hendrix and Dave Traina is a cracking drummer! The pairing of Lee-La and Tom is another stroke of genius! We should be talking about them the same way as we talk of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
The encore took me by surprise. The band came back and played a U2 cover that was barely recognisable as a U2 song! If you’d have told me it was an original song by the Damn Truth, I’d have believed you. Again, it had power and soul and Rock ‘n’ Roll attitude in bucketloads. ‘Love is Blindness’ was followed by the final song of the night ‘Heart is Cold’, and what a way to finish! Again, absolutely stunning.
Watching The Damn Truth live is a real treat, especially in such a small venue. I have always said to friends and I’ve even said this on my radio show a few times; ‘If Led Zeppelin were fronted by a woman, they’d be The Damn Truth’. They are that good and watching them play is so exciting as you really feel you’re witnessing something that little bit special. The band are back in the UK in October and if you haven’t seen them live, you really must. You won’t regret it!
