Sold out like the rest of this “ˇChutzpah!” tour, Shepherd’s Bush Empire punctually opens its door to an excited crowd, smiling in anticipation for what is rumoured to be the best Wildhearts show to date. The Wildhearts are mainly famous for Ginger’s inspired song writing, their energetic live shows and their past excesses, which didn’t win them many favours with the press back in the day. Today, the band managed to mature without joining those using this word to disguise a comfortable pension plan (read: sell out).

Their latest release “ˇChutzpah!” still delivers thirty five minutes of excellent music, their shows are still as sweaty and true as they were when they were young and high, but it’s all topped up with a grown up attitude and a development of their trademark “catchy pop and adrenaline riffs” sound, which finally earned them that standing ovation from the critics that had too long been denied.

Welcoming us to the final act of the “ˇChutzpah!” tour is young British act No Americana. I don’t think they reach twenty years on average, they have no CDs out and invite us to pick up a flyer and help ourselves to a free download. According to their MySpace, No Americana’s goal is to take the entire British music heritage, wipe off all the US influences and be the new direction of Brit music. I don’t know if they’ll get that far, but these Midlands kids are damn good for their age and they can definitely get somewhere. Their music is a fusion of pop and rock that is easy on the ears and decently memorable, their musicianship and presence are very promising and they don’t look or sound at all out of place on the intimidating Shepherd’s Bush Empire’s stage. After all, they did get an opening slot at this year’s Download Festival aswell! These guys have at least one good connection in the industry!


Further warming up the already heated atmosphere tonight is cult underground rock act Black Spiders. Surrounded by an unusual hype for such a young band, the Black Spiders have only one EP on sale at the merchandise stall (and on iTunes, for your downloading pleasure), “Cinco Hombres (Diez Cojones),” which in English translates “Five Men (Ten Testicles).” They deserve your hard earned cash for that title alone! The Black Spiders already registered an acclaimed appearance at Download, a support slot for Black Stone Cherry, big press enthusiasm and another important support slot to come, for The Answer this time. I didn’t know much about the Black Spiders so they were an extremely pleasant surprise, and I hope I’ll have a chance to see them again soon. According to their MySpace page, they sound like “Black Sabbath eating Guns’n’Roses for breakfast.”

They could surely teach a thing or two to the man that these days still calls himself Axl Rose. Maybe they could teach him musicianship, professionalism, creativity, a great sense of humour, a close loving relationship with their fan base and that inner positive energy, which they spread on us like magic dust through their heavy and powerful rock riffs. Check out The Black Spiders, for your own good. Where else are you going to find Monster Magnet and AC/DC in one song and have a laugh at the same time, all for the mere price of a couple of pints?

And now, ladies and gentlemen, The Wildhearts. After a poll on its own website to decide the set list, the band is treating us to a luxury double bill tonight. First, we will experience “ˇChutzpah!” live in its entirety, and then it will be juke box time, with the audience requesting their dearest classics until curfew time.


I do have to say I’m in total shock at how great ˇChutzpah! sounds live. It is all the quality you get on the album, plus an extra dose of that positive Wildhearts high that can’t be equalled by all the coke Columbia can possibly produce. Picking a favourite? Impossible. `Mazel Toy Cocktail’ makes you dance, ‘You took the sunshine from New York’ makes you dream, ‘Tim Smith’ makes you headbang, ‘John of Violence’ makes you sing and ‘Chutzpah’ makes you scream. Call it creativity. Or call it Ginger if you like, because as much as you can hear the team work here, he’s obviously still the driving force behind all this.

Allow me now to dissent from the usual list of songs and comments, because this is not what gigs like this are about. A good live act is not just a bunch of good musicians; a good live show is not just a spectacular combination of effects, costumes and choreographies. What turns a good gig into the time of your life is an artist that can take every single person in the audience by hand and take them to a special place. The best gig is the one where you don’t care what you left behind today and what is waiting for you tomorrow. Your age, bills, girlfriend. The gig you’ll never forget is the one where for a couple of hours it’s just you, the music and those few hundred / thousand friends around you. You feel invincible, smile like an idiot because life is amazing and want to hug everyone. A bit like ecstasy, but much better. This was, without the shadow of a doubt, one of those rare magic gigs.

Gradually through the “ˇChutzpah!” set I can feel that force pulling me towards the front. Then the “Greatest Hits” portion starts with ‘Nothing ever changes’ and the force is pulling forward and high.er.. F**K... Where’s the volume on this thing? There... F**K, F**K, F**K!!!

Ginger did promise the Wildhearts would rock the living shit out of me, that I’d make new friends and miss it like Christmas when it was over. But what about a warning on dangerous side effects, like this unexplainable and irresistible need to join the front line mosh pit at my age and height? It’s ’29 x The Pain,’ and here I am, singing at the top of my voice with a sweaty stranger. "How can I get down when I’ve got all my friends around,” knowing that we’re on the same wonder-pill just like everyone else jumping and pushing about.


‘Red Light Green Light’ fades and the audience goes totally bonkers at the first notes of ‘Sick of Drugs’ and..... well, at this point there are no words to describe the high, so you know what? Here goes the rest of the Wildhearts jukebox for tonight:

• ‘Suckerpunch’,
• ‘My baby is a headfuck’,
• ‘Geordie in Wonderland’,
• ‘Just in Lust’,
• ‘Caffeine Bomb’,
• ‘Wanna go where the people go’.

Now go on Spotify, find them all and play them very very loudly. You will still have no idea of what I’m talking about, but it may tempt you into buying “ˇChutzpah!,” most of the Wildhearts back catalogue and tickets to their next gig, and would be the best investment you ever made.

And like all the best things in life, the Wildhearts gig is over. I’ve been on a high for most of the following day, then slept it off like a coke overdose and woke up with stiff legs and a twisted neck, but still with that idiot smile on. And I never missed Christmas as much as I’m already missing this.