Bar Stool Preachers – Lost Horizon, Bristol – 27.04.24

Bar Stool Preachers – Lost Horizon, Bristol – 27.04.24

A last-minute decision sees me travel the 100 miles across the Severn Bridge to catch the twelve-legged groove machine otherwise known as The Bar Stool Preachers in Lost Horizon Bristol, Why not seems like a good idea right? Right, what else was I going to do on a Saturday night?

Lost Horizon is the nearest town centre venue to the M4 so bonus as we enter the old warehouse venue turned into a trendy concert venue where different warehouses are pumping out different flavours of Saturday night music from Drum and Bass to punk rock and Ska to god knows what was filling the air as we neared the venue.

A healthy attendance as we enter the room at the perfect time just as the house lights go down and the intro tape begins. The room is hoping with people of all ages out to enjoy the best Saturday night they could muster with a band who certainly know how to put on a performance be it in front of 20,000 Germans, A packed Rebellion Festival or a Saturday night in the West Country. Business is on and ‘Call Me On The Way Home’ fills the air and the place is jumping well up for an entertaining evening with the preachers.

The band seamlessly glide from album to album playing the best night-out music you could hope for its music to move even the stiffest people nobody here is judging the dancefloor and the place is rocking. Sweaty bodies are moving to ‘DLTDHYOTWO’, ‘Fall Down’, ‘Trickle Down’ and ‘State Of Emergency’ I glanced down at my watch and already we were an hour deep into this gig, how the hell did that happen as Tom Pirouettes around the stage between the band out front who can’t stand still for a second, beaming faces from ear to ear as every word is sung back. Every time I catch the band I think their time is now these guys are ready to go big and the next album will be the one but they already have so many anthemic sing-along songs like ‘Chose My Friends’, ‘Flatlined’ and the superb ‘Doorstep’ but tonight it was the old guard that stole the show and almost a week later I can’t get the earworm ‘8.6 Days (All The Broken Hearts)’ out of my head maybe they knew how many days it would stay in your ears for who knows.

With an early curfew time was running out and it was time to take a breather with the excellent ‘Lighthouse Keeper’ where Tom had found a fetching pair of cat ears to wear, no he did. The band raced through ‘8.6’ and the togetherness and interplay was so evident that this is a band working as one totally in step with one another that is a beautiful thing living in the moment making great music and having it paid back from an audience who are loving it ten fold.

All that was left was ‘Bar Stool Preacher’ and a good ole knees up and they were done. Nothing was left on the stage there couldn’t have been anyone in attendance who didn’t have a good time. This was the perfect way to spend any night let alone a Saturday night and these boys are on fire. through a crisp sound system, they were on fire dishing out not soul music but music for the soul. Right at the top of their game Bar Stool Preachers have evolved into a fantastic live band and peerless in their genre – come and join the family and let them shine some light into your life it’ll make you a better person and if you don’t Tom might hunt you down and give you a headbutt. The highlight was ‘Never Gonna Happen’ it was performed with such belief and passion it was an experience. My only complaint is get ‘Race Through Berlin’ back in the set it’s majestic even if you have to overrun by three minutes it’ll be worth it. Top night out as always.

Author: Dom Daley

Rich Ragany – ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’ (Barrel and Squidger Records)

Rich Ragany – ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’ (Barrel and Squidger Records)

Whammo! Look who’s back with a new shiny spinning disc of musical meanderings for your perusal. If you read the hallowed pages of Uber Rock back in the day, you’ll probably be aware of the name Rich Ragany. Affectionally known as Rags to all and sundry, you may remember him from such class acts as The Loyalties and The Role Models, and more recently with his band The Digressions. Well, the Calgary born and New York bred singer/songwriter, who has lived in London for enough years now to be considered a local, has cast aside his trusty telecaster, strapped on an acoustic guitar and he’s riding that steel horse into town all on his lonesome.

Don’t worry, Rags hasn’t gone all Bon Jovi on us just yet, but his debut solo album ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’ is a more stripped-back, singer/songwriter affair than his previous works. On offer we have 10 tracks recorded in various settings, including his own bathroom! Produced by Andy Brooke and Russell Broom and featuring Ken Mochikoshi-Horne of The Bronx playing guitar on first single ‘A Pleasant Fiction’, as well as fellow digression Kit Swing providing backing vocals.

Opener ‘Empty and Free’ sets the scene nicely. This is the sounds of The Lords Of The New Church and The Replacements jamming out in some forgotten Tarantino spaghetti western. The vibes are anthemic and upbeat from the off, with a trademark Rags melody that will embed itself right in the brain. Guitar lines jangle and intertwine before the dulcet vocals reverberate through the speakers.

First single ‘A Pleasant Fiction’ follows. Featuring the guitar talents of The Bronx man Ken Mochikoshi-Horne, it’s an album highlight for sure. The verse creates a certain drama, again the alternative 80’s are strong with this one, I’m getting early Hanoi meets Japan vibes, are you with me?

The title track came about after a 3 a.m. heart-to-heart with longtime friend and former Amen/Wildhearts bassist Scott Sorry. This is classic balladmongery, with Rags enticing the listener with heartfelt melodies, the juxtaposition of Kit’s vocal accompaniment then gives a silken, dreamy edge to the raspiness. A blood-on-blood tale that gives a sense of longing and vulnerability that we have not seen from this artist before. ‘Sierra Bonita’ is the surprise twist of the album. With pulsing electronica and skulking verses, it has early 80’s new wave vibes, coming on like Billy Idol or prime, drug-ravaged Depeche Mode at their best.

Elsewhere the likes of ‘Reach Out’ and We’re Alive Anyway’ break out the tinkling ivories where the singer is full of nostalgia and hope. And ‘The Great Nothing’ continues the dark and foreboding Lords alternative 80’s theme.

He’s had his ups and downs the past few years, but Rags is still aiming for that guitar shaped swimming pool with ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’. It harks back to the days of those Role Models albums, there seems to me a whole heap of nostalgia and soul searching going on here, and if you were dragged up on a diet of Hanoi, The Lords and The Dogs, then you will fall in love with the sonic tapestries created within this album.

There’s a diverse and rich set of tunes that somehow sound familiar after just a few listens, which is always a good indicator of a top-ten album contender come the end of the year.

Rich Ragany has laid his heart on his sleeve and poured his soul out on ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’, so the least you can do is return the favour and pick up a cheap alternative to that Replacements box set you’ll never afford.

Buy Here

Author: Ben Hughes