Sons of Liberty

Live at Level 3, Swindon - 5th September 2020

Live review by; Bryan C

 

Second gig in ten days, I'm feeling spoilt. The occasion this time was the visit of Bristol southern-rockers Sons Of Liberty to Swindon's slightly odd Level 3 venue.

Obviously it was to be a socially-distanced affair and as the doors opened we trooped downstairs to be given the rundown on the setup for the evening - one way system to the balcony, no dancing, table service for drinks and stay sat as much as possible.

I ended up with a nicely sited table-for-one in a corner of the balcony with an excellent view of the stage, so I wasn't going to complain.

 

With the audience (all 60-ish of us) settled, the band took the stage and it was immediately apparent that we weren't the only ones happy to be back at a live music 'event'. I remember not too long ago when the set would be full of Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet covers but no more, this was almost all original music but still retaining that southern rock feel.

The set was based mostly on the Animism album, now almost a year old, but the two EPs also got a look-in, as Rob Cooksley belted out the words (gradually losing hat and coats as the gig went on), flanked by guitarists Andy Muse and Fred Hale, with Fred seemingly intent on seeing how many axe-hero poses he could pack into his performance. The band admitted not being 'gig-fit' (who is at the moment), but nobody let that get in the way of a good night and considering we've all been 'Up Shit Creek' (to use a SoL song title), this was a great way for everybody to get out and meet up again, finishing a 90-minute set with 'Simple Man' (the only cover of the night) and another original.

 

That was it, everybody seemed happy to be back at a gig, but wondering when the next one would be a few notes. I never thought I'd hear a British band write a song about Ruby Starr - it almost made my night (look her up - great voice).

The band apparently weren't being paid; hopefully they sold enough merch to make it worthwhile. Entry to the gig was by donation into a bucket and considering the efforts put in by Level 3 owners Violet and Darren, I hope that everyone was generous.

 

Sons of Liberty – Facebook;  https://www.facebook.com/OfficialSonsofLiberty

Sons Of Liberty – shop;  https://sonsofliberty.bigcartel.com/

Level 3 – Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/level3club