The Junction 2 is buzzing early on with anticipation for two well-loved artists. First up CJ wildheart is in fine form. He plays newer material alongside songs from Honeycrack and of course, The Wildhearts, all of which go down a treat. CJ is an easy listen and engages with the crowd in his usual affable manner, noting that Cambridge is indeed quite a departure from his previous show in Leeds. Did everyone cycle here he quips! Still packing a great vocal and seemingly impossibly youthful CJ is a lesson for budding musicians in how to entertain.
Speaking of entertainment, they don’t come much better than Ricky Warwick. He hits the ground running and never lets up the pace until the final note of his set. His latest work stands out as his best to date. It’s Warwick’s showmanship and that of his band that shines the most. His stage presence is magnetic. We get a storming rendition of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak’ and a fantastically raucous outing for fan favourite ‘Free N Easy’. First and foremost this is a rock show and you are never allowed to forget that. The crowd love it and are enjoying themselves so much the dreaded see of mobile phones is conspicuously missing. Here it’s a case of take a quick photo and get on with watching the gig. And what a gig it is! Let’s hope this is a tour that gets many repeats.
Review and photos by Gary Trueman