Vintage Trouble: Motion, Bristol
A mere nine months ago, I reviewed VT for MoM and awarded them the prestigious 10/10 for their energised and classy performance at the Bierkeller. The band were on amazing form that night, wowing a sold out crowd with 90 minutes of bluesy soul. I have to be honest, I didn't think that they could get much better. How wrong I was.
The Motion is a relatively new environment in a City with more music venues than you can shake your stick at. Located on the banks of the Avon but further away from Bristol City Centre, it has hosted a range of genres and styles, including the excellent Temples Festival. It suited Vintage Trouble perfectly. Taking the opportunity for a couple of headline dates between supporting Paloma Faith at much larger venues such as the 02 Arena, Vintage Trouble managed to sell out most dates and Bristol was no exception. Bristol loves Vintage Trouble.
So, given that my last eulogy is still relatively fresh, what superlatives do I use this time? Arriving on stage at 8:00pm, Ty and the boys delivered another absolutely stunning performance which featured tracks from their debut album along with some tasters from their forthcoming summer release, which is going to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Lead singer, human dynamo and Mr Charisma Ty Taylor noted that Vintage Trouble are definitely “live music first, recorded music second”. No-one in the packed audience was complaining. Given the frequency in which they are on our shores and with a limited catalogue, you could be forgiven for expecting the band to be somewhat complacent. Absolutely not. Mixing up the set list, the band provided a master class in how to pace a set. Kicking off with some of their up tempo tracks, Nancy Lee and the masterful Blues Hand Me Down, the energy levels started at 11 and never dropped. A reduction in tempo during the middle for some of their more soulful tunes, including Lover Leave Me Be and Nobody Told Me then allowed the audience to catch their breath whilst demonstrating the magnificent vocal range of Taylor. The set climaxed with the frontman charging around the crowd whilst still maintaining his delivery to perfection. Set closer Run Like the River was followed by a rapturous encore of Better Believe It and Pelvis Pusher as the band excited one by one to a huge crescendo of applause and cheers.
Of course, VT are not just about Ty Taylor and the rest of the band, Nalle Colt on guitar, Richard Danielson on drums and Rick Barrio Dill on bass deliver the gritty dirty sound which allows Taylor’s blues soaked singing to feature so prominently. Colt is no slouch with some quite magnificent guitar work whilst Dill and Danielson are possibly the coolest rhythm section in music today. As always, the band were totally suited and booted, allowing them to retain the best dressed band award for another year. They also connect with the entire audience and as you looked around there were couples, parties, metal heads, young and old all grinning, clapping and generally having a quite spectacular evening. How many other bands bring out a cake to mark a super fan’s 100th gig? Or remember a couple that got engaged at another of their shows and remind them that the box for the ring was still safely in their possession?
Crafted and honed, Vintage Trouble are a band with a one way trajectory to the stars. They deserve it. A fantastic evening and although as I headed to the gig I wondered about my enthusiasm to see them on another tour, by the end of the set I was already looking forward to another viewing in the future. 10/10 (again). (Wholeheartedly Agreed- Ed)
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