Live Review : The Mercury Riots + Heartbreak Remedy @ Vinyl Tap, Preston, August 18th 2024

Vinyl Tap continues their fine run of bringing the best rock n roll, both international and home-grown to their small but perfectly formed venue in the heart of Preston.  And tonight’s bill illustrates that perfectly, with the exquisite grooves of L.A’s The Mercury Riots sharing a stage with Cumbrian heroes, Heartbreak Remedy.  And whilst the two may be thousands of miles apart geographically, musically they share a common DNA, a desire to deliver good time, life-affirming rock n roll, that lets you forget your problems and worries for a couple of hours, and leaves you with a grin on your face and a lighter spirit.  And tonight, both bands proceed to do precisely that… 

Heartbreak Remedy are no stranger to Vinyl Tap (or ROCKFLESH for that matter, this being the third time in recent months that we’ve crossed paths), having played there only a matter of weeks before.  And, as was the case on those earlier occasions, they once again deliver a set oozing with bucket loads of charm, commitment and flair. For just three musicians, they belt out a big wall of sound, resolutely putting the “power”, in power trio, cowboy hatted guitar dynamo Luke Blair, dispensing the coolest riffs with a nonchalant ease. But it’s always beautifully economical in its execution, perfectly judged, never too much, exactly what the song requires. In fact, the songwriting throughout has a keen sense of both melody and storytelling, and if you want a distillation of what Heartbreak Remedy are all about look no further than the riotous, semi-autobiographical 21 Kings.  Propelled by Stephen Jackson’s fierce floor toms providing a sparse but impactful backbone (and who can argue with a drummer in red leopard print?), over which a spiralling riff weaves and spins, the song tells a nostalgic tale of time spent in a local pub “that’s now a block of flats”.  It’s this relatability that is a big part of the band’s appeal, Matty Penn’s vocals drawing you into a tale of misspent youth the likes of which many of us remember fondly, although those times may well be decades in the rearview mirror; “back when I was 21 I had no cares at all” indeed.   

It's the sign of a great band that before you know it, their set draws to a close and you could have sworn they’d only been playing for ten minutes, and in fact almost an hour has flown by; such is the case here, Heartbreak Remedy demonstrating again why they are one of the most consistently impressive and entertaining bands on the UK circuit today. 

Preston is a long way from L.A, but tonight it could easily be twinned – for one night only - with that West Coast rock mecca, such is the atmosphere and vibe that The Mercury Riots bring to the Vinyl Tap stage.  There’s a certain swagger, a certain cool, that only American bands can pull off; whether it’s the accent, the style, hell, maybe it’s the Californian climate, or perhaps it’s simply our endless fascination with the U. S of A.  Whatever that indefinable something is, The Mercury Riots have it in spades.  You can hear elements of many of your favourite bands in the band’s songs – a dash of Aerosmith here, maybe a touch of AC/DC there, even a hint of The Eagles perhaps – and whilst it’s fun to pick out those influences, it never feels contrived or derivative.  Rather, it feels like this bunch of supremely talented musicians have cherry-picked the best bits from each, and blended them with their own personality and flavour to create something uniquely their own.   

From the second they saunter on stage, and launch into ‘Make It’ to a rapturous reception, they light up the Vinyl Tap stage with a star power that belies the intimacy of the venue. Rocking a fabulously retro aesthetic, each member of the band looks every inch the rock star.  Whether it’s vocalist Justin Walker and guitar maestro Felipe Rodrigo, all flares, scarves and feathers, bassist Fede Delfino, leant against the stack, a study in black leather and boots or powerhouse drummer Jonny Udell in lumberjack shirt, it all adds to the overall cohesiveness of a band that are absolutely comfortable in their own skin, and know just how phenomenally good they are. 

Musically, they’re incredibly tight, with arena-conquering performance skills of so fine a calibre that you have to pinch yourself that you’re seeing a band of such quality up close and personal in such a small grassroots venue.  The only downside is that with the confines of such a small stage, the band aren’t able to fully stretch and lean into the physical performance side as much as they would evidently like to. You can almost feel that repressed energy desperate to break out, like caged lions unable to roar, and whilst it doesn’t necessarily detract from the show, you can’t help but picture how stellar the band would no doubt be given a bigger stage. But in spite of all that their performance tonight, is something really quite extraordinary 

We’re only two songs in and already the energy is at a ridiculously high level, ‘Be Mine’ effortlessly cool, a swaying off-beat hi-hat rhythm and inspired guitar part, defying even the most leaden -footed amongst us not to move to the groove.  And that’s what The Mercury Riots do so, so well, their music having an almost hypnotic, compelling intensity, that demands a physical reaction; it’s primal, sensual, dirty, dangerous and exciting, and more fun than it really should be legal to have on a Sunday night in Preston. Sweet Melody drops a gear, changing the mood, with an immaculately delicate vocal opening, over a beautiful guitar line, before a muscular bass line kicks in, with a surging and snarling riff.  A true diamond of a song, with unusual and evocative lyrics, fabulous guitars and a jaggedly stunning solo, it was a jaw-dropping thing to have the pleasure to witness. In fact, Felipe Rodrigo’s guitar playing throughout is a truly amazing thing to behold, exquisite, tasteful and oh so, very, very cool… 

Most, (if not all of the tracks) from the band’s superb debut album In Solstice get an airing tonight, and really, you could randomly grab a song from anywhere in the set and find an absolute belter. At the centre of The Mercury Riots, Justin Walker is a vocalist in the grand tradition, possessed of a golden voice of incredible range, depth and timbre that can deliver hard hitting rockers and more nuanced, delicate parts with equal ease.  He has the crowd hanging on every note, every gesture, every mannerism, the obvious chemistry he and the rest of the band share impossible not to be swept along by.  And as the set draws to a close, the whole crowd is moving and grooving with wild abandon, desperate for the night not to end… 

The Mercury Riots are a band that are impossible to pigeonhole and that can only be a good thing.  Endlessly entertaining, devastatingly cool, they are a band that you really need to see.  So, next time they’re on tour, do yourself a favour, drop everything and go check them out.  You can thank me later…  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
The Mercury Riots + Heartbreak Remedy