RIVAL SONS, Ulysses, Pint Sized Hero @Slade Rooms 29/9/12

Pint Sized Hero are chuffed to bits to be here. The grins on their faces tell you as much.

The Kent band are adopting a “cottage industry” approach to Rock n Roll, releasing their “Get Your Kicks” album themselves, so bagging the opening slot on this tour is a pretty big – and important deal.

Their songs have just the right amount of retro to pull it off. “Barberella” and the albums title track get things moving pretty well, while the new song they air before they end (so new it doesn’t have a name yet) hinted at a future with some heavier riffs.

Bath’s Ulysses are far too cool to show happiness, but they too have a real 1970s vibe to their tunes. To RTM they sounded like The Kinks playing hard Rock songs with The White Stripes. Not bad at all, but a touch more stage presence wouldn’t go amiss.

Rival Sons have become a reasonably big deal. Album number three, “Head Down” has gone into the British Charts at 19, and is top of the Rock section. Moreover, last November RTM saw them play The Slade Rooms. This show is at the bigger Wulfrun around the corner – we predicted they would rise fast and for once it seems, we were right.

They have done so on the back of embracing the old and the new. They have released good records, gone on tour with everybody they can and done the old school things to build a fanbase. However, they have also embraced social media to get their message out there. Perhaps as a result of this there are a lot more young people here than you might normally get for what is essentially a retro act.

If 2011’s “Pressure and Time” was a stunning affair – and the band begin with the title track from it tonight – the just released “Head Down” is more of a grower.  “Wild Animal” sounds heavier than on record, while “You Want To” grooves along. “All The Way” with its supposedly jokey lyrics doesn’t quite work.

“…Down’s” first single “Keep On Swinging” goes down a storm when tossed out mid-set, while anyone who doesn’t enjoy “Burn Down Los Angeles” from “…Time” is, frankly, an idiot and there is a dip back to the first CD with “Memphis Son.”

The main set was, from start to finish, a triumph. But things do go slightly array in the encore. Manifest pts 1 and 2 are jammed on a little bit too long, and closing number, the brilliant on record “Soul” goes the same way.

These quibbles aside, the Sons deserve their success and posses real talent. Guitar man Scott Holliday can knock out a mean riff and singer Jay Buchanan evokes –probably intentionally – memories of Robert Plant and Chris Robinson.

Rival Sons are already very, very good. If they cut down slightly on the jamming they could be exceptional.