Robert Jon and The Wreck & These Wicked Rivers
O2 Academy 2, Liverpool – This is a weekend of new venues for me, which always makes things a bit more interesting, and a newish city too as I often head to Manchester or Nottingham, but Liverpool was the best option this time around, so here I am.
Originally called L2 and then the Carling Academy until o2 took over the sponsorship of pretty much every music venue in the country and here we are. It’s not the big, upstairs venue, but the smaller, more intimate place below. A 500 capacity gaff - which is pretty much sold out tonight - with solid bricks walls built a hundred years ago and a low roof. Tonight, this is going to get very hot, sticky and sweaty, but that’s rock ‘n’ roll man, it is what it is.
The Support is also new to me. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Robert Jon and The Wreck five times including tonight, but never managed to catch These Wicked Rivers - that changes tonight though, so…
Let’s get on with it.
These Wicked Rivers - Hailing from Derby, These Wicked Rivers, have spent a good few years building up their name and reputation, often putting a good shift in as a Support - a fine way of gaining a new audience - and refining their stage presence so that you know when they’ve arrived. This was the case tonight as they received a huge roar approval before they’d even played a note, but this got even greater when they kicked off with ‘Shine On’ and Liverpool immediately got into the blues groove that would stay for the night.
Their new album ‘Fire and Folklore’ was released earlier in the week and this was a good chance to see what it was all about as a couple of tonight’s tracks are taken from it. ‘Ain't No Smoke’ and ‘Horse To Water’ were the two chosen from the dozen on the album and they were both well received.
Dan Southall put in a solid performance on drums - never has a drummer been so close to the front of a stage, but it was good to see. This time it was the ‘keyboardist’ that had been relegated to the rear, and masked, pretty much all night, by the bass player, but there you go. There were a few concerned photographers, me included, that winced a few times when lead guitarist Arran Day launched his big kicks a bit too close to the edge of the stage for our liking; the tog pit not being the biggest at this place. We lived to tell the tale though, so…
The biggest response of the night though came for their final tune, the anthem ‘Don’t Pray for Me’ was known by most in the room and it was a superb way to end their time with us.
These Wicked Rivers Setlist
Shine On
Ain't No Smoke
Testify
Horse To Water
Don't Pray For Me
These Wicked Rivers are: -
John Hartwell – lead vocals / rhythm guitar
Arran Day – lead guitar, bv’s and big kicks
Dan Southall – drums and bv’s
Rich Wilson – keys, harmonica, bv’s
Adam Brewell – bass
There’s a good half an hour now, to fight my way to the bar for a cheeky slurp before the Headliner begins.
Robert Jon & The Wreck - These guys have also been putting in a good shift over the last few years and building up a solid following each year they returned. Touring the UK twice some years their performances have gone from strength to strength, with maximum effort and a setlist that powers through with each new album they release.
Now if there was a roar when ‘Rivers’ walked on stage there was an almighty roar when ‘Wreck’ did, which would have been felt in the room above had there been anyone on.
There were a few subtle acknowledgement to get out of the way as courtesy dictates and then we were off with ‘Pain No More’, which slid straight in to ‘Trouble’, No time for a breath in between or any more pleasantries as the boys were on a mission, and that mission would be delivered.
A moment did have to be taken after these two tunes not least because that hot, sticky and sweatiness that I mentioned earlier, had arrived by the bucketload and even had to be acknowledged by Mr. Burrison, who is normally a cool sort of dude, but tonight, the ‘air’ took over.
These guys also had a new album to promote and the next four tracks all came from it. ‘Sittin’ Pretty’ started it all off, but it was ‘Better of Me’ with Henry James’ huge solo in the middle of it that got many into raptures, before the keys of Jake Abernathie, who was heard and not seen for most of the night as there were no stage lights pointed in his direction, began ‘Ashes in the Snow’, slow in tempo and moody before that gorgeous sounding Leslie got menacing and queued in the rest of the band for their part. The title track finished off this segment of the gig with ‘Heartbreak and Last Goodbye’ dedicated to Angie or Andy (!) could have been either really as the noise from the crowd at the sound of the opening bars deafened the dedication.
They say that’s its best to leave the best ‘til last, but it’s hard when you haven’t got a bad tune in you, but ‘Red Moon Rising’ with its double time hi-hats and a seriously chunky bass line opener had a dirty 70’s vibe all over it, led nicely into their big anthem ‘Oh Miss Carolina’ where audience participation was absolutely compulsory and then a mesmerising couple of play-offs in ‘Cold Night’, firstly between Henry James and Robert Jon intertwining harmonious guitar vibes between them, and then James and Abernathie toying with and testing each other to see how close they could mimic each other’s sound.
They also say finish big or don’t finish at all, and after a bit of a break to give the effect of a proper encore the five-some returned for two killer tunes, ‘Rager’ started the end off and ‘Do You Remember’ ended the end and left the room In a moment of sheer, unadulterated rock and roll pleasure. What a way to finish an evening.
Oh, and one last thing, if you don’t know. It’s rare that Robert Jon and The Wreck play the same set each night, they often mix and match everything from their vast repertoire, so if you think you’ve seen them once on a particular tour, it’s odds on that you haven’t and seeing them again will give you a whole new experience. Just saying.
Robert Jon & The Wreck Setlist
Pain No More
Trouble
Sittin' Pretty
Better of Me
Ashes in the Snow
Heartbreak and Last Goodbye
Bring Me Back Home Again
Life Between the Lines
Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man
Red Moon Rising
Oh Miss Carolina
Cold Night
Encore
Rager
Do You Remember
Robert Jon & The Wreck are: -
Robert Jon Burrison - vocals, guitar
Henry James - lead guitar, vocals
Andrew Espantman - drums, vocals
Warren Murrel - bass
Jake Abernathie - keyboards
UK Tour Dates – October 2026
02 - Cambridge Junction, Cambridge
03 - Rock City, Nottingham
04 - O2 Academy, Liverpool
06 - Trinity Centre, Bristol
07 - Project House, Leeds
08 - O2 Academy, Oxford
You can find more images of Robert Jon and The Wreck, by clicking here...
Written in association with Noble PR
