THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, Graveltones, Samuel Taylor @Leicester Academy 2 28/9/13

Back in the mid 1990s RTM went to see Feeder at the Wulfrun Hall. There were two support bands that evening. One was Straw, who we raved about and told everyone were going to be massive, the other was a new band that we had never heard of, didn’t like and confidently predicted we would never hear from again.

Straw split up after a second album that no one bought, a couple of them showed up in the Jeevas with ex Kula Shaker man Crispin Mills, while the first band that evening was from the West Country and called Muse.

RTM still doesn’t like Muse, but we tell that story to prove that we aren’t great tipsters when it comes to deciding what the public will enjoy. It does seem, though that we backed the right horse for once with The Temperance Movement.

Going to see a band whose album is riding high in the current charts is something of a new experience for us, but nonetheless that’s what’s happening right now. The group know they are on the crest of a wave too and intend to make the most of it, it seems. This is their third UK tour of the year, the second leg of which sees them finish in November after a trip to Europe and the size of the Leicester Academy 2 is a marked step up from where they played in the spring.  It is not without a sense of irony, you suspect that singer Phil Campbell begins tonight with the words: “Hello Leicester, it seems like we are rock stars….”

Before that there are two support bands to enjoy. Folkie Samuel Taylor, as he always does it seems, is performing opening duties for The Temperance Movement. This is not quite as odd a pairing as it first appears, given that two of tonight’s headliners produced his EP and play on the record. RTM liked Taylor when we saw him in May and he is even better tonight. There is a genuine warmth to songs like “Waiting For Nothing” which is allied to something quintessentially English and whimsical. It would be easy for this to get lost here and that it does not is great credit to Taylor.

About as different the acoustic charm of Taylor as you can get, The Graveltones are next up. The duo are making a name for themselves and are fast becoming experienced on the support band circuit. RTM saw them open for Rival Sons back in April and they largely play the same set tonight. Their massive riffs and drums approach draws obvious comparisons with a heavier and less eclectic White Stripes. “I Want Your Love” remains the pick of their songs, and they too could have a bright future.

Which brings us back to The Temperance Movement. Kicking off their set with the quite brilliant “Midnight Black” the 75 minute set is one that is well-honed and choc full of fantastic songs. The band are not re-inventing the wheel, in fact “….Black” is typical of many in that it sounds like prime Black Crowes jamming to a Free song with The Small Faces, but that is rather the point, and the Movement are proudly retro.

Their self titled debut record is superbly crafted and carries on where their EP from a year or so ago left off, and the likes of “Aint No Tellin’” and “Only Friend” benefit from repeated playing.

The bands true skill is that they make everyone feel part of it. “Chinese Lanterns” is played with no amps, just like when we saw them before and, rather than seeming pretentious, it actually seems like a really inclusive and fun thing to do.

They encore with “Know For Sure” and you just ….ahem… surely know, that in a few years time they will be headlining some festival with thousands of people singing it back to them, all of whom will claim they saw them on this tour.

If you have seen The Temperance Movement, you know what the fuss is about. If you haven’t, get to it, before they get so big they aren’t our band anymore, because they will be massive. Trust us…..

RIVAL SONS, Graveltones, Ulysses @Birmingham Institute 11/4/13

First of all you have to take your hat off to Rival Sons. In an age where it is increasingly hard for new bands to get heard, what they have achieved in the last couple of years in the UK is pretty remarkable.

When RTM first saw them in 2011 they were at a packed Slade Rooms. Then in autumn last year they were at a packed Wulfrun Hall and now just six months later they are at The Institute main room and guess what, that’s all but sold out too. The group are living, breathing proof that if you tour constantly, engage with fans on social media and have good songs, then you can still play rock n roll.

Both support bands for this evening are on this month’s Classic Rock “Bands to Watch” CD. Bath’s Ulysses we have seen before, when they opened for Rival Sons at the aforementioned Wulfrun gig. Unashamedly 1960s sounding, they remind RTM of The Kinks. “April Showers” is chirpy, while closing song “Taxi Driver” (the song on the CR CD) is catchy and immediate and sees the band all playing Kettle Drums before bidding us adieu.

London two piece Graveltones are next up, an odd affair, as two piece groups tend to be, they make a real racket. Sort of heavy blues, let’s be totally honest, whatever they do they are going to get compared to the White Stripes. If that is comparison that will upset them they are doing nothing to dissuade it. “I Want Your Love,” their song on the cover mounted CD is a good one, as is “Money”, but they finish off, rather strangely with a drum solo.

Which brings us to Rival Sons. Guitarist Scott Holliday emerges wearing a very loud suit, while singer Jay Buchanan has the look of a younger Steven Tyler. The band are greeted like heroes. Opener “You Want To” is rather a cameo of what happens for the rest of the night. The song is a good one, but the band – as befits a group with a retro outlook – they extend it into a huge jam, likewise the following track “Get What’s Coming” follows the same path. It does, to be totally honest, get just a little wearing.

“Gypsy Heart” is better, borrowing as it does, from The Black Crowes “Remedy” while “All The Way” with its attempts at light-heartedness doesn’t quite work. That is absolutely not the case for “Until The Sun Comes” the stand out moment of last year’s “Head Down” album, a fine song, full of Stonesy stomp, you wish all their songs were as short and sharp as this.

“Jordan” is a little bit too mystical for our tastes, while epic closer “Sacred Tounge” and “Face Of Light” starts off acoustically and builds to a conclusion.

The encore of “Burn Down Los Angeles” a brilliant track from the superb “Pressure And Time” album and “Soul” which is equally good, showcase just why this band is so popular, and why – despite RTM’s misgivings about the third album and the jamming nature of their delivery – they keep filling halls up and down the country.

Personally not all of this gig was to our tastes, that said, we are in a minority as the band continues to go from strength to strength.