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