Stiff Little Fingers // Ricky Warwick // Flame In The Heart Tour - Live Review // The O2 Academy // Bristol

Stiff Little Fingers // Ricky Warwick // Flame In The Heart Tour – Live Review // The O2 Academy // Bristol

Ricky Warwick is quite possibly the hardest-working man on the rock scene. Having already played a solo acoustic set in Bristol earlier in the day, he takes to the stage accompanied by his band of Fighting Hearts. The casual observer could possibly overlook the fact that rock royalty is stood before them. Richard Vernon on bass (ex-The Mission) Ricky Warick (ex-New Model Army, The Almighty, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders) on lead vocals and guitar, Ben Christo (The Sisters Of Mercy, Diamond Black) on lead guitar and Jack Taylor (Tax the heat) pounding the skins.

Current Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts album Blood Ties hit the charts at Number 8 earlier this week and the guys are riding that wave and firing on all cylinders. Angels of Desolation form that new album hits with the power you’d expect from any song from The Almighty combined with the melodic intricacies of Thin Lizzy. The blazing Black Star Riders classic Another State Of Grace really gets the crowd jumping and singing along and the crushing Fighting Heart really gets the room warmed up. As Ricky and Ben stand shoulder to shoulder with guitars slung low and legs akimbo in time-honoured rockstar style for the twin lead guitar intro of The Crickets Stayed In Clovis the room is rapidly filling up and those of us against the barrier are a little more squashed and toasty with every moment that passes. From the upbeat rock n’ roll jaunt of When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues), the drop-tuned bliss of Rise And Grind, the stunning cover of Heartbreakers classic Born To Lose and the infectiously catchy Celtic barnstormer The Arms of Belfast Town, RW&TFH are a finely tuned engine that becomes greater than the sum of its already impressive components. Rounding things off with the sing-along floor shaker Schwaben Redout it really is testament to the stunning body of work Ricky has created over the years.

Setlist:

ANGELS OF DESOLATION

ANOTHER STATE OF GRACE

FIGHTING HEART

THE CRICKETS STAYED IN CLOVIS

CROCODILE TEARS

WHEN PATSY CLINE WAS CRAZY (AND GUY MITCHELL SANG THE BLUES)

RISE AND GRIND

BORN TO LOSE

CELEBRATING SINKING

THE ARMS OF BELFAST TOWN

SCHWABEN REDOUT

https://www.blackstarriders.com

https://www.rickywarwick.com

Review: Steve Gibbons

Photography: Emma Painter

Pacific Curd Photography

As Stiff Little Fingers enter the stage to the strains of the James Bond theme blending into the intro tape of their bombastic instrumental Go For It, the venue is packed to capacity. Probably beyond capacity. It’s a squeeze to manoeuvre through the crowd even at the back of the room. The temperature soars as do the repeated chants of “FINGERS” from the attendees of tonight’s Bristol Harrington Jacket Convention. Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae starts thing off and the crowd erupts into a frenzy which will barely subside for the next 80 mins. 45 years after its release, At The Edge is a relevant today as it was back then albeit with a certain irony as Jake Burns now 67 years old blasts through the anthem he penned in his 20’s. The songs remain anthemic and timeless as three generations of fans bounce, shout and sing with gusto. I don’t recall the last time I attended a gig this rammed, hot and boisterous. Even the balcony afforded little chance of a glimpse of the stage as SLF rampage through their chart hit At The Edge, blistering renditions of Wasted Life and the bluesy stomper Wont Be Told before dedicating their love to Joe Strummer with the epic Strummerville. Jake introduces new song Mary’s Boy Child as “it’s storytime” before having the crowd in fits of laughter as he explains the subject matter of the piece. Fans of a certain orange faced American may wish to avoid this particular number. Every song is an absolute banger with little room for respite as crowd and band thunder through the set. Straw Dogs, Piccadilly Circus, Just Fade Away, it’s physically impossible to resist bouncing along. Bassist Ali McMordie is a whirling dervish around the stage and it’s a heartwarming sight to see his New York Dolls t shirt in honour of recently fallen legend David Johansen. Introducing My Dark Places, Jake sends out the serious and important message of seeking help to those that suffer with depression including anecdotes regarding his own struggles with mental health. The phenomenal Tin Soldiers and Suspect Device have the crowd drowning out the band as they scream along to the chorus. It’s difficult to express in words the sheer ferocity of a Stiff Little Fingers show and it’s a cliché to state that you can actually feel the love in the room between the audience and their heroes. Quite simply, they are still every inch the stunning live band they have always been. Barbed Wire Love starts the encore before Alternative Ulster tears the place apart in one last frenzy of wild abandon from the crowd. With 18 songs packed tightly into the 80 minutes they are on stage you can almost touch the joy as the beer fuelled masses saunter out of the venue with grins on their faces.