Southern rock band from Orange County, California Robert Jon & The Wreck have been around since 2011. The five-piece consisting of Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Henry James Schneekluth (lead guitar), Warren Murrel (bass), Andrew Espantman (drums), and Jake Abernathie (keyboards) have since gradually been building up a solid reputation with their warm, rocking sound. They brought that sound, along with trademark soaring guitar leads, rich vocal harmonies, and songs that stick with you long after the show, to the Harmonie once again on Wednesday. My impression? Despite being a great live band even when I first saw them back in 2023, they just keep getting better.

RJ&TW have certainly paid their live dues, touring relentlessly across the US and Europe and sharing stages with legends like Joe Bonamassa, The Black Crowes, and Peter Frampton. Their musical catalogue keeps growing stronger too — highlights include Shine a Light on Me Brother (2021), Red Moon Rising (2024), and their latest, ‘Wreckage Vol. 3 that consolidates the band’s growing reputation for fresh and sweaty RnR.

My first sighting of the band was here at the Harmonie in 2023 where we were lucky enought to have Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes from Bywater Call supporting on what was the closing night of their European tour. Read the full review here. No support this time around, but certainly no complaints. The band’s live reputation was confirmed by a sold-out Harmonie which meant that you had to move to the music – because it was so crowded there was little choice but to move in the direction of the people next to you.

But if there was plenty of energy and sweat coming from the audience there was also energy and sweat aplenty coming from the band. Even splitting the show into two halves didn’t lose any momentum. The whole band know where they’re headed right from the opener ‘Hold On’ from 2024’s ‘Red Moon Rising’ which ponders the road to success:

They continue to ‘work that line’ throughout the evening, often through newer tracks from last year’s ‘Heartbreaks & last Goodbyes’ and a smattering from brand newrelease ‘Wreckage Vol. 3’. A particular favourite in the first set was in fact the bass-drum pounding ‘Arroyo’ from Vol.3 that storms along with occasional extra boosts of energy via Jake Abernathie’s keys. Henry James riff is as urgent as Burrison’s vocal. It is in effect a micrososm of what makes this band so special.

You can almost see the sparks of energy that bounce off all five musicians during the set. They look from one to another between songs as if to say “Can we let loose again now?” a hunger for playing that is so often lacking in live music these days. There are traces of so many of my favourite band’s styles in the RW&TW sound: ZZ Top are in there (but with ten times the energy of Billy G and co when last I saw them). A smattering of Lynyrd Skynyrd in ‘Glory Bound’. There’s that twin guitar sound that emulates the Allman’s on ‘Oh Miss Carolina’ and gets jazz shades as in ‘Cold Night’. When they rock outright and those twin guitar melodies from HJ and Burrison kick in there is even a touch of Thin Lizzy (more of that on future releases please guys!)

The tempo rarely comes down, but when it finally does, as on ‘Gold’ it’s what every rock ballad should be – slow, thoughtful, and riff laden. No room this evening it seems for the ballad ‘Last Light on the Highway‘ from which ‘Gold’ comes, but it’s all down to taste I guess. The standard is just as high.

After the show it’s great to see the whole band out and chatting to the fans. Great too that they are all regular guys who thank us for coming and for our kind words. I decide to use the opportunity and get a full set of autographs on my ‘Live at the Ancienne Belgique’ CD. I’m waiting on the last autograph – Robert Jon himself – for several minutes before I realise that he has actually been having a drink at the bar for several minutes largely unnoticed by the scrum at the merchandise stand. Actually, I notice him first by the band of sweat running down the back of his jacket where his guitar strap was for two hours – oh, and of course, he’s wearing a Texan hat. Somehow he manages to stay in the background. Not for much longer I suspect. At the Harmonie or on bigger stages.

A blinder of an evening then musically from one of the very best Rockbands on the planet right now. I hope to see RJ&TW back in Bonn again, but fear that the Kantine in Cologne will take them on soon as so often happens when bands reach the popularity that Robert Jon and his amazing colleagues are reaching. I hope I’m wrong for Bonn’s sake. Several things are very clear about RJ&TW though: