Those Damn Crows Soar to New Heights at Chalk, Brighton!

Welsh hard rockers Those Damn Crows proved themselves to be frontrunners in the hard rock world as they took to the stage at a packed Chalk nightclub on a soggy Monday night in Brighton! With support from The Cruel Knives who played a superb set of their most popular heavy metal tracks to a very appreciative crowd. The Knives were a perfectly matched opener for the Crows proving that they have hard rock pedigree in their own right!

The Crows, with Shane Greenhall on vocals, Ian ‘Shiner’ Thomas on guitar, Lloyd Wood on bass, David Winchurch on guitar and Ronnie Huxford on drums played an explosive 16 song set to an ecstatic crowd of die-hard fans!

Kicking off their set with ‘Who Did It’ from their album ‘Point of No Return’ opening with its distinctive heavy guitar riff, the classic Crows sound for which they are known and loved! Greenhall’s signature bluesy vocal had the crowd dancing from the onset.

Next up was ‘Man On Fire’ with it’s pounding drum beat and Greenhall’s vocal stealing the show! A huge and punchy anthem that the likes of Bon Jovi would be proud of!! Exploding with emotion and clever lyrics that will resonate with many! A song with huge sing-a-long potential! The Crows are the Bon Jovi of their generation minus the big hair and spandex!

From the very first note there was a wonderful dynamic between the Crows and their fans, a real warmth that was beautiful to see. Greenhall constantly reached out to the crowd, grabbing hands and making them feel as if they were part of something special and indeed, they were! If this performance is anything to go by, they won’t be playing on small stages for much longer!

A particular highlight of the night was ‘Takedown’ from their third album ‘Inhale/Exhale’, where Greenhall’s charisma and passion for his music really shone through! But it’s not all about the frontman, the crows are a tight band who seemed to bounce off each other, each one a talented musician! This track is as radio friendly as it gets, yet somehow it manages to keep the edgy sound that elevates it to the next level. Just another reminder of how far the crows have come and why this album is undoubtedly the strongest of their career!

‘This Time I’m Ready’ was spine tinglingly beautiful and heartfelt where Greenhall played the piano much to the excitement of their already ecstatic fans! A masterpiece!!

‘See You Again’, was another huge ballsy anthem with an incredible guitar sound, another triumph in a night of incredibly good music!

‘Lay It On Me’ was scorching and magnificent, another song filled with beautiful lyrics that is next level good, an absolute masterpiece in a set that just gets better and better!! It was no surprise that the venue is heaving, this is music for real life! Music for heart break, music for those in love, music for those wanting to be inspired, this is Those Damn Crows!

I think the final question has to be, why are a band this good not filling out stadiums! Their feelgood anthems are surely stadium worthy, at a time when it’s most needed! The crows are murderously good!!

Photos and words by Louise Phillips

Those Damn Crows Setlist

Who Did It
Man On Fire
Send The Reaper
Takedown
Find a Way
I Am
Wake Up
Lay It All On Me
Waiting For Me
Blink Of An Eye
Go Get It
Rock’N’Roll Ain’t Dead
Sin on Skin
This Time I’m Ready
See You Again
Outro Run to the Hills

Photos of Those Damn Crows

 

Photos of The Cruel Knives