Kaleo, Shane Smith And The Saints, Live at Wembley Arena

Words: Kahmel Farahani

Photos: Ryan Hildrew

With the explosion of country music in the UK over the last several years still picking up steam, it’s always a pleasure to see a genuine band that not only walks the walk but talks the proverbial talk. If tonight’s performance is anything to go by, Shane Smith And The Saints certainly are the real deal.

The five piece band hail from Austin, Texas and that sun bleached country and western sound has bled into their sound. Starting their set with the very atmospheric instrumental Last Of The Mohicans, the band play the soft and tender ballad Adeline. It slowly builds into a country rocker, and it’s a fine first taste of frontman Shane Smith’s impressive voice. Smith’s voice is strong and he has a range from the rugged to the tender.

The Saints , consisting of Bennett Brown on fiddle, Dustin Schaefer on guitar, Chase Satterwhite on  bass and Zach Stover on the drums, all take part in the lush harmonies to sing the next song. A brilliant fiddle and guitar led version of Leon Russel’s Hurricane, it’s a genuine highlight to hear.

A raw and heartfelt ballad played as a rolling and tumbling country song, All I see Is You may be the band’s most famous song, having been used on the epic American frontiers drama Yellowstone. It’s a fine song, and receives a tremendous cheer from the crowd.

After an all too brief set that barely passes the half hour mark, the band come to their final song, and one of their strongest. Heaven Knows has the swagger of hard rock mixed with the melody and fiddle of the best old school country songs. A fiery guitar solo from Dustin Schaefer is perfect contract to fiddle player Bennett Brown’s frantic and thrilling playing.

It’s a brilliant end to one hell of a showcase. When there is no shortage of country and American roots rock around, Shane Smith And The Saints proved they are a cut above tonight. With any luck, they will make a swift return to the UK for a far longer gig.

After a brief changeover, the stage is set for something more like the cosmic blues. Hailing from Mosfellsbaer, Iceland, Kaleo have made quiet an impact in Europe over the last several years and now it seems the UK and America may finally be catching up to them.

Starting their set with moody, slow building rocker USA, the husky voice of frontman and Kaleo main man JJ Julius Son is so arresting that it captures the attention of a near full Wembley Arena in a matter of minutes. It’s arguably one of the best voices in music right now and he certainly knows how to use it.

A mix of singer-songwriter style stripped back music mixed with country, blues and something uniquely Nordic, the art of Keleo’s sound is in the build up, the ebb and flow of the softer moments and the explosions of energy from the band. Made up of drummer Davíð Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjánsson, lead guitarist Rubin Pollock and harmonicist Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson, the band is at once loose enough to jam and tight as a drum when the time calls for it.

A case in point is one of their finest songs, Skinny. Starting off slowly with JJ Julius Son solo on guitar, the lonely desperate blues suddenly explodes with squealing feedback as the whole band kicks in with a perfectly timed beat. It’s easy to compare them to The White Stripes or Tyler Bryant, but Kaleo have added a layer of the mystic to their interpretation of the blues that’s unique.

The soft, RnB flavoured shuffle of Hey Gringo is another highlight, with Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson going wild on the harmonica. It’s like hearing the most current, contemporary mix of 70s Americana and Blues. With just over one hour fifteen minutes on stage that have flown by in the blink of an eye, Kaleo take their bows and walk off before swiftly returning  for an encore. Starting off with an unreleased, new blues rocker titled Backdoor, the band soon have their adoring fans singing along again.

The upbeat rocker Glass House gets everyone standing, dancing and singing along. It’s lean, no nonsense rock and roll, and Kaleo area clearly having a fantastic time on stage giving it extra fuel and letting the crowd share and alternate the backing vocals. It’s followed by the final song of the night, aptly titled Rock n’ Roller. It’s polished, big radio friendly rock is the perfect way to end another gig that has flown by too fast. There can only be bigger things on the horizon for Kaleo, and tonight’s performance was proof that they’ve certainly earned them.