Rival Sons – More than Shooting Stars

I had to dig deep into the 3songsbonn archive to find Rival Sons. Finally, I located the band in a Crossroads/Rockpalast from the Harmonie in 2013 on a double bill with Hong Faux. They were considered hot rock property then, I even bought their then-new release ‘Head Down’ after the show. so how will they fare in the daylight at Kunst!Rasen, over a decade later and hot on the heels of an equally hot performance by Larkin Poe? Read on…

I wonder who decided on the billing for this evening’s Rock Night? I know, both Larkin Poe and Rival Sons were given equal stage time (of 75 minutes), even so, last band on gets the atmosphere as the sun goes down and has their songs ringing in the ears of fans heading past the merchandise tent.

Looking around tonight’s audience there is seemingly an even balance of Poe and Sons t-shirts being worn. Let’s say 1/3 to 1/3, the other 1/3 belonging to a myriad of other rock bands going back to Deep Purple and forward to Robert Jon & The Wreck. It’s something not lost on Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan who duly thanks the fans for supporting not just Rival Sons but all the bands on all the shirts. Buchanan also remarks that anyone who wasn’t moved by the Larkin Poe set needs to buy a tombstone because they must be dead. I’m warming to the man for sure. How about the music?

Rival Sons are not treading any new territory for sure. Their music resonates with the style of many hardrock heroes of my youth. The songs don’t seem to have riffs that stick in my head though the way those original bands did. From the stop/go rhythm of the opener ‘Mirrors’ through to the closing ‘Keep on Swinging’ which starts with a great rock riff but gets checked somewhat by the tempo change when the vocal comes in. Perhaps I’m being overly expectant, there is a lot to like and enjoy in the Rival Sons set. if you like a thumping rocksteady beat then Michael Miley has you covered. Thumping bass? look no further than stage left to Dave Beste. What makes this band stand out from the many similar 70’s style rockers though are the band’s other two members. Scott Holiday would stand out alone for his mustache, hat and dark glasses. He’s the epitome of 70’s rockstar cool that could easily be an attempt to make up for lack of ability on the six-string. Rest assured, Holiday also has the musical chops to fit the sound.

If you’re planning on a 70’s hard rock soun,d then you need a Coverdale/Plant/Gillan/Dio/Osbourne (insert your favourite here) upfront singing. Here’s where Rival Sons has the drop on all the similar Hard Rock music slingers. Jay Buchanan has a voice that could have joined any of the aforementioned bands with their iconic frontmen, and that’s about as big a compliment as I can give to a rock vocalist. It pushes every song in the set into epic rock territory. The likes of Frankie Miller come to mind – a voice that takes whatever passes their whiskey-toned lips into an extra dimension.

It’s fitting then that the most memorable track of the evening is one where the bass, drums and keys take a backseat. Buchanan gives the song ‘Shooting Stars’ from 2019’s ‘Feral Roots’ album a long, spoken introduction. He recalls singing it often, too often, in memory of bad things. “School shootings that seem to happen every week almost in the USA” he notes. Now, wars, in Israel and Ukraine. The wish for these things to end, but the realization that good has an opposite in evil, and peace an opposite in war:

“My love is stronger than yours
It’s stronger than yours
It’s stronger than yours
My love is stronger than your
Hate will ever be”

The simplicity of the song, its delivery, and the audience joining in with the chorus was truly spine-tingling. I did stay for the rest of the show, but that song and moment stayed with me long after, and is still with me now. Let’s see if anyone can top it in the remaining Kunst!Rasen shows. Certainly no-one is going to top this evening’s music for sheer energy and musical commitment.

Larkin Poe/Rival Sons. I detected no diva-like dissatisfaction about who plays when between these two bands. Just a love of doing what they do. Amen to you both!