Well it would not be one of my gig reviews without some sort of disruption… so tonight it looks set to be a completely wasted journey as we arrive and our names are not on the list. After a few frantic messages back and forth nothing is getting resolved. I hover in the entrance to The Ritz debating whether to buy a ticket as surprisingly (or not as it’s Easter Monday) it’s not sold out and I really, really want to see The White Buffalo… but then what’s this? I overhear a man at the box office handing over a print at home ticket, saying his mate could not make it and to give it to someone who needs it… I check myself, find myself wanting and seize my chance. Explain to the lovely man my predicament, he hands over said ticket without question. Awesome. Sadly, Ryan is not able to come in and I feel bad, but even with a ticket he says they will not let him in with his huge camera bag. And that folks is why… the photos are a bit rubbish for this review.

By this point the supporting act are almost on stage so I grab a drink and find a position upstairs where I can get a reasonable view. It’s busy but not full and the age range is slanted to thirty plus. Somewhat not surprising, I guess, but nice to see some younger lads among the audience too. I expected more rockers and metalheads but given the main acts wide appeal it’s definitely a more diverse mix. L.A. Edwards (Luke Andrew Edwards) and his band take their positions on-stage and it is immediately obvious why they are on this tour. A great accompaniment to the headline act. This four-piece hail from Julian, near San Diego. L.A. Edwards is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, ably assisted by one guitarist and two of his brothers; one on drums and the other, a Tom Petty-esque bassist. Well Tom Petty are one of the band’s big influences along with Creedance Clearwater Revival… and it was Tom Petty’s bassist who produced the 2017 album “True Blue”.

We are treated to a 40-minute set of bluesy rock entertainment. It’s easy listening and despite it being the opening night of the tour (and them saying they have not toured for a while), they give a great performance with a healthy dose of harmonica thrown in, plus some North West (slightly contrite) chat about The Beatles and football. I will definitely check them out more.

Brief interlude and the place is pretty full now. I guess for the fans who bought tickets for the original dates in 2020 it’s been a long wait and a great way to round off Easter weekend. The sultry tones of Johnny Cash are playing and then as we head to 9pm Jake Smith, aka The White Buffalo and his band saunter out onto the stage to rapturous applause. For those who are unaware of The White Buffalo, have you seriously not seen “Sons of Anarchy”?!? (this review may contain spoilers)… I was introduced to him by that phenomenal series via Henry Rollins doing his spoken word tour in Liverpool in 2008 (where I got to meet the legend Mr Rollins himself). I watched the series religiously, often binge-watching. I loved nearly all the songs from the soundtrack and bought a few of the compilation CDs (Songs of Anarchy), so I’ve been listening to The White Buffalo for quite a while and have had the chance to hear more of his recent songs on Primordial Radio.

As his website states “The White Buffalo is about engagement. The White Buffalo makes people laugh and cry. The White Buffalo is truth and wild imagination working together.” Not surprisingly based on my musical taste it’s the emotive lyrics, the mix of fast and slow-paced guitar provided by The White Buffalo himself, energetic bass and keys from Christopher Hoffee (who is in his element), and the “machine” that is cowboy hat wearing Matt Lynott on drums that have won me over and tonight they do so throughout their 90-minute set. The drummer has my attention for much of the evening as he is absolutely mesmerising and with him upfront on the stage it’s a treat to get such a clear view, when as we all know drummers are often hidden at the back. There are lots of breakdowns and lots of teasing of the audience… with flourishes leading us to clap before they band start again and so it goes on… wonderful.

Sadly, with no photographer and no setlist uploaded online I cannot give a clear running order and for the first few songs I am perplexed as there is nothing I recognise. They whizz through a range of melodic and slow-paced tracks broken up by other faster paced songs. We witness the band totally animated and their energy is matched by the power of the vocals, which are sent reverberating around the venue. Pure delight. There is some interaction with the audience, but they are clearly here to perform. They mention about being rusty on this, their tour’s opening night, but you really cannot tell and they are clearly loving every second of being back at it.

Throughout the night there are constant heckles for ‘The Whistler’ one of the songs from Sons of Anarchy, which starts to grate after a while. Then a song I recognise ‘Oh Darlin' What Have I Done’ again from Sons of Anarchy. I’m having flashbacks to the show and know this is a pivotal moment in series 6, the penultimate series, and not long before a fork appears (vomit-inducing spoiler right there! Definitely need to watch it all again). We also get ‘Join the Murder’ from the show and finally ‘The Whistler’. This part of the show exposes the slight rustiness as The White Buffalo gets through the first verse before admitting he’s fucked up and they have to start again! On the website it states his voice “seems directly linked to a greater truth; an artist who will not be swayed by fashion or curtailed by genre” and it’s great to see his authenticity playing out tonight. If I had chance to interview someone, I think this storyteller could have me captivated for hours.

And speaking of stories… My favourite track, taken from the most recent album (2020) “The Widow’s Walk” is ‘No History’ (as a history graduate and someone who practises mindfulness the lyrics leave me slightly conflicted!) Strangely not many in the audience seem to know this song, so I guess Primordial Radio has again served me well, by introducing me to these fantastic newer songs.

“You can’t hold the hands of time. There’s only here and now. And nothing more. There’s only one way to be free… no history”

Sadly, they do not perform ‘The Rapture’ or the up tempo gem that is ‘Faster than Fire’ from the latest album, but I enjoy being introduced to lots of songs I do not already know and have my work cut out to catch up on the back catalogue. This artist definitely has a winning formula. It might seem a bit tried and tested but I like that. It’s like a fleecy blanket or a warm hug on a cold night, it is comforting and just makes everything feel better.

The tour of the UK finishes Tuesday 26 April so I strongly recommend you try to catch a show if you can. I expect next time they play it will be in much larger venues and am grateful of the “free” ticket for tonight’s show. Outstanding.

Live Review : The White Buffalo + L.A. Edwards @ 02 Ritz Manchester, April 18th 2022