PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
On a rare hot evening in April, what do you do? Yup, head off to a packed venue and check out the hype that is ‘Wayward Sons’ with their debut album Ghosts of yet to come!
Now, normally you’d expect another rock band to warm up the crowd before the headline act, but the entertainment on this tour comes from Rock comedian Pete K Malley. It’s not very often you get a comedian taking the stage at a rock concert; yes there’s the likes of funny man Will Varley but he does sing too. So were the crowd bored? Well, no rotten tomatoes were thrown, only the freebies Pete sent in to the crowd; including a tee, a copy of his book and a bottle of Toby Jepson’s sweat! Yup, you read that right!! The jokes and heckles were good hearted and kept the fans amused; which also included a slide show, you really had to be there. As it turns out, Pete’s a massive fan of Wayward Sons. And was really pleased to be supporting his ‘best band’ on the planet. I’d say that’s a job well done, appealing to a packed room of sweaty rockers!
Since forming in 2017, Wayward Sons have increasingly built up a solid reputation. Fronted by ex-Little Angels singer Toby Jepson, the band are currently on a headline tour of their debut album Ghosts of yet to come. Getting radio play on Planet Rock with tracks Alive and Until The End from the new album, the band seems a favourite of the radio station. Having won best new rock band at this years The Rocks, it would seem the fans are in agreement too!
Opening with Alive not only can you feel, but you can see the unity between band members, they play hard, fast, and with such might. Jepson’s voice is a force to be reckoned with and he was in good spirits as he related to the crowd how it was the suggestion of bassist Nic Wastell (Chrome Molly) that the two of them ‘should do something together’ and so along with session drummer Phil Martini (Tokyo Dragons, Quireboys) young gun Sam Wood (Treason Kings) and Dave Kemp (keyboards) who has worked alongside Toby on various projects, the band were formed and took up the offer to sign to Frontiers records.
Despite the heat in the venue Wayward Sons provided even more fire, running through their debut record in no particular order, if you haven’t heard Ghosts of yet to come, you’d be impressed by how well the songs translate live. Maybe it was intentional to create such a sounding record or perhaps it was the years of experience between the members that crafted such a fine piece of work to be played live. Bands that move about on stage are usually the most interesting to watch and there was no letting up throughout their set as the energy between the audience and the band just flowed. The fans revelled in the fairly new songs, chanting back the choruses – they were also treated to 3 previously unreleased tracks: Standby Heart, Backside and Radio Denial which can now be purchased on their Record Store Day vinyl I don’t wanna go. And of course Toby being the Little Angel he was sang Kickin’ up Dust from the Little Angels album Don’t Prey for me, a song about Johnny ‘the original wayward son’
Wayward Sons weren’t a band formed to please the fans of their past legacies but to fulfil something else each of them had to offer, to make and play awe-inspiring real rock music. The responses for their album and this tour have been remarkable for a relatively new band. And you can catch them on tour now and if you can’t make it along to a show or two, Wayward Sons promise to be back touring later in the year:
~ Ghosts Of Yet To Come Tour ~
Apr 13 Ballymena NI, Diamond Rock Club
Apr 19 York, Fibbers
Apr 20 Sheffield, Academy 2
Apr 21 Newcastle, Riverside
Apr 22 Edinburgh, Mash House
Apr 24 Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms
Apr 25 London, Islington Academy 2
Apr 26 Bristol, Fleece
Apr 27 Nottingham, Rock City
Apr 29 Brighton, Sticky Mike’s
Apr 30 Cardiff, Globe
- 10.99
