James Jared Nichols and Silveroller at London Underworld 2025 – Words and Photos by Dawn Osborne

It’s a joy to see the Underworld full, showing that Blues Rock is alive and well! Silveroller were back in the capital to support Jared James Nichols and people are crowded in early to see this band about which a real buzz is goin’ on.

Silveroller are a bunch of whippersnappers and yet they play Rock ‘n’ Roll like old souls.

Jonnie Hodson, frontman, rules the stage like he graduated with first class honours from the David Coverdale School of Mikestand Twirling, thrusting his crotch against it as though he was schooled by Robert Plant himself. Sammy Murdock bears a passing resemblance to Jimmy Page, but the most impressive thing about the band is they deliver an overall cohesive sound that suggests they have treaded far more boards than they can possibly have done given their age.

They deliver the Otis Redding/Black Crowes number ‘Hard To Handle’ as if to say we can meet the gold standard, and indeed to my eye Hodson is far more interesting to watch.

It’s an indication of star potential as to how sticky a performance is and it’s true to say all eyeballs are all glued to the stage throughout. The rest of the performance is originals and they stand tall against the classics of the giants, making them catnip to the Blues enthusiasts in the audience.  It’s over far too soon!

Silveroller are only just getting started, but I await with anticipation as to what more they can achieve!

Jared James Nichols is also inspiring devotion, and the queue to meet him and get “a sweaty hug” promised by him from the stage was around the block afterwards showing that many were left with a huge amount of goodwill after his show!

This is the last of ten dates and so Nichols joyfully proclaimed from the stage that he could give it all he’s got tonight with no need to pace himself as, after tonight, he was going home. When he joked from the stage that he needed a lift to the airport, more than one hand shot up to volunteer, and when he admitted it was a joke, the reply was “I Love You” leading him to joke it’s “always the guys!!”. But there’s no doubt that he is held in high regard almost reverence by the throng.

I have seen Jared perform a number of times, both in the UK and internationally on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise. I think it’s fair to say that his material and set has got a lot heavier over time. This is illustrated by the fact that the encore is now ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath instead of ‘Mississippi Queen’ and that there are only about five tracks from his previous studio albums.

There’s no doubt he is a guitarist first, and the most joyful thing about his performance are his energetic and lengthy solos, the quality of which is to build the energy throughout the show, so there is never a lull and everything leads to the huge riffs and monster solos of the encore.

 

Nichols is a master at crowd engagement, using his expressive eyes and mouth to keep a bond with the crowd and his friendly down to earth comments between songs makes people feel involved and invested in the show. When someone shouts that he is a legend he quips that’s what they call him at Greggs when he orders a steak bake, although he’s quick to add that he doesn’t eat there (something that would be verified by his buff frame).

In order to reach out to the crowd even more he jumps into the crowd and stays there for a good amount of time directly connecting with his fans. He even starts giving away his stage clothes declaring now the tour has finished he “wouldn’t be wearing this ZZ Top shirt again.”

It’s one thing to be a master on the guitar which Nichols undoubtedly is, but it is quite another to be able to be accessible and open to an audience to the point that they all feel like they are your best friend. Many guitar geniuses are aloof and introverted, Nichols is the epitome of someone who can not only deliver amazing performances, but can also relate to a crowd and be a good frontman as well. It will be interesting to see if he continues the heavier trend or will revert back to a more Bluesy album at some point. What was not in doubt tonight was that he totally hit the spot!

Dawn Osborne