Bloodstock 2021 Countdown : 30 Bands not to Miss : 9. The Wildhearts
If the truth be told, The Wildhearts were deeply disappointing at diddy download. The sound was dodgy and the pressure around the significance of the event got to the band, resulting in an early bath. What makes The Wildhearts such an incredibly exciting live act is their emotional vulnerability and volatility. Therefore it could have gone one of two ways, either Ginger could have hurtled into one of his "don’t need this shit phases" or they could regroup and come back all guns blazing. Thankfully it was the latter as The Wildhearts at Steelhouse were simply revelatory last week. They channelled every bit of the incendiary fire that has fuelled them for over thirty years and just absolutely nailed it. The Wildhearts may not have a track record in clutching victory from the jaws of defeat but in this case with their backs to the walls they pulled it out of the bag massively. So inexplicably the signs now look good for Bloodstock. They owned the place back in 2019 and after last weekend I would now not put it past them repeating the feat.
Playing: Friday, 13th August 2021
Stage: Ronnie James Dio Stage