Western Sand

Question; what’s the difference between a Blues band and a Rock band? Well, anyone who was at The Cluny on Saturday night to see Western Sand, would know that straight off. This powerhouse 4 piece from the South coast hit Newcastle like high-octane dust devils and scoured the walls of The Cluny, and probably a few parked cars outside with their no compromise Southern Rock. This was Marauder era Blackfoot with the intensity of Foo Fighters and these guys are a triple threat; some mighty songs, great on-stage chemistry, and can they play! You’ve got Findlay Hotchkiss driving the bass, Nathan J Kay powering the drums like a herd of wild stallions; and the fiery twin lead guitars of Jimmy Bradshaw on Les Paul and Tyler Hains on SG. Tyler is a triple threat on his own, his guitar strings and vocal chords sound like they’re marinated in Jim Bean before each gig and he has a great charisma that marks him as one of the best front men I’ve seen in a long while; probably since Pete Shoulder.

Put them together on the Cluny’s stage, and straight after the dying chords of the spaghetti western intro and Clint asking if you felt luck, the guys exploded into Dark Horse and no respite into Hammer Fall. Black Water Resolution snarled and growled, but from Better Days, through to Mississippi Queen, there was hardly any let up; the band were flying and the sizeable Cluny crowd were lapping it up; Saturday night and the “Toon” was rockin’  The slowest number of the night was a new ballad, Fly Like The Crow, but then it was turned up to 11 as Place I Call Home lead into a mighty drum solo and a howling Badlands closing the main set.

Somehow, they still found enough in their tanks for a blistering encore, Nothing To Lose and a frenetic take on Aerosmith’s Mama Kin. No doubt about it, they came knowing what Newcastle likes, and they delivered, by the van load.

So, what is the difference between a Blues band and a Rock band? The 3 rolls of gaffa tape it took just to fix everything down; you’re lucky to see one with a Blues band…....

Set list:- Dark Horse; Hammer Fall; Blackwater Res; Better Days; Dog Without A Bone; Broken Bones; Cut You Down To Size; Mississippi Queen; Fly Like The Crow; Place I Call Home; Badlands; Enc- Nothing To Lose; Mama Kin.

PS; I noticed a number of cameras and tablets out at the show, so hopefully some quality vids to follow.

PPS - got to give a mention to the support band; Speeder; young, local band, re-visiting NWOBHM in their sound; good dual lead guitars; lot of original stuff as well as a Maiden cover - Flight of Icarus and Priest’s Breaking The Law. Though the members have played in other bands, this was their 1st gig together, though you wouldn’t have known; gelled well and sounded solid.