Wednesday 13 With Support From South Of Salem & Sick And Beautiful & Tarah Who?
The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
15/4/2023
With a line up featuring a trio of well loved acts the question being asked really is Tarah Who? The answer it turns out is an LA trio that like to rock out with a free flowing entertaining set that tellingly flies by. Their sound is full and heavy with a garage vibe to it. Face painted and energetic this is a welcome surprise to kick off the evening. The new question is will they change their name now we know who they are?
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Intergalactic Italians Sick And Beautiful are a being down tonight with bass player Ray out of commission with an eye injury (get well soon Ray). The remaining band members take it all in their stride putting on a stunning performance that includes flaming tomes and angle grinding as well as some fine tunes. Herma has both real stage presence and some serious pipes which enthrals the audience. Impeccable musicianship like this deserves to play bigger stages in the future.
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Another band on the up and looking set for ongoing success are Bournemouth’s South Of Salem. This five piece just have it all – great songs, bags of beans on stage and they look every inch like rock stars. There’s a feeling of unity too with much swapping of positions and sharing of stage risers. It’s chaotic fun that shows hard rock is very much alive and kicking. Behind it all is an engine room that purrs like a kitten, a very large wild cat kitten. The guitars are sublime, the rhythms spot on and the vocals punch right through. Right now South Of Salem can do no wrong.
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Much has been written about hard rocking Wednesday 13 but sometimes you just need to watch a performance and take it all in to appreciate what a consummate pro this guy is. You get a full force corpse painted (extremely good) band, that’s a given. You get songs written and performed with years of experience at their heart too, you can hear the difference, the gold plated quality. There’s something more too though. Through that snarling note perfect voice you get charisma, the ability to hold a crowd with every word. That is a rare thing, to witness a modern masterclass in simply being the thing your fans want you to be and more. Exceeding all expectations doesn’t happen very often, tonight Wednesday 13 smashed them into oblivion.
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Review and photos by Gary Trueman