Those Damn Crows review: ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Ain’t Dead Yet’

For the Welsh five-piece, their highly anticipated follow-up to ‘Inhale/Exhale’, which reached No. 3 in the UK Albums Charts, ‘God Shaped Hole’ is set to be released in the coming weeks, and in a way, the new record signals the start of a new era for the band, as regular arena-headlining performances surely await following a terrific 2024.

Despite only performing five dates in the UK in 2024, their highlights included a set at Download Festival where ‘Let’s Go Psycho’ made its live debut, opening for the legendary ZZ Top at Wembley Arena, and they also headlined their first-ever arena show in Cardiff last December. However, in support of their aforementioned fourth album, The Crows have headlined unique venues across the country, and Tuesday night was Liverpool’s turn to host the Welsh rockers for the first time in eight years.

Whilst the Crows impressed. The same can be said for the opening act, James Bruner. The singer’s sound is fuelled by fuzzy guitars, powerful drumming, lush arrangements, emotive lyrics, memorable hooks and impeccable vocals that draw on influences from artists such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Jeff Buckley. Among the highlights from a thrilling opening set were tracks such as ‘Eye in the Sky’, which is blues-rock at its finest; ‘Alibi’, which combines a catchy hook with classic rock riffs and a spine-tingling solo; and ‘Better Days’, which is an electrifying closer that showcases the raw power in Bruner’s vocals. He’s certainly one to watch in the future!

As for The Crows, from the moment they launched into the punchy and high-energy ‘Let’s Go Psycho’, the crowd exploded into life as the sound of aggressive guitars and powerhouse drumming filled the venue in vintage Crows fashion. A rendition of ‘Man On Fire’ followed as the crowd entered mass singalong territory on a track that sees Lloyd Wood’s driving bass and the punchy guitars of Ian Thomas and David Winchurch stand out.

In tracks such as the catchy ‘Find A Way’, Shane Greenhall's soaring vocals catch the eye on a song that is undoubtedly a track that would thrive in a larger setting too. The anthemic ‘Blink of an Eye’ saw the O2 Academy 2 erupt into full-blown party mode with a fully guitar-driven performance.

Midway through the set, tracks from the five-piece’s ‘God Shaped Hole’ album began to feature as they delivered a three-punch combo of the defiant rock anthem ‘No Surrender’, the light but fast-paced ‘Glass Heart’, which feels almost pop-rock-esque and is an instant crowd-pleaser, and the Pearl Jam-esque ‘Dreaming’, which is a nice change-up ahead of explosive renditions of ‘Who Did It’ and ‘Sin on Skin’ that left the walls visibly shaking.

Following a rendition of the chugging guitar-fuelled anthem ‘Go Get It’, Greenhall addressed the crowd to acknowledge a few technical difficulties and jokingly responded to a fan who bellowed “You still sound Welsh” with a response of “There’s no escaping that” before a mesmerising guitar-driven performance of ‘This Time I’m Ready’ that would be capable of charming a grizzly bear and a rendition of ‘See You Again’ laden with duelling guitar solos.

‘Rock N Roll Ain’t Dead’ provided a fitting closer with a singalong of epic proportions, a spellbinding guitar solo and an extended outro bringing down the curtain on an explosive night of live music.

As evidenced by their performance in Liverpool, the Welsh five-piece underlined why they are one of the best live bands in the business and why they are on their way to headlining arenas permanently; with bands like The Crows around, Rock ‘N’ Roll ain’t dead yet.