Personally for us The Wildhearts are where it all started. They were our gateway band. The first rock record we ever owned was the Don’t Be Happy… Just Worry EP, and from that moment on there was no turning back. Every obsession, and every other rock or metal band, that followed can probably be traced back to hearing those songs for the first time as a pre-teen on a windy Scottish island with the cassette we played to death, which is why this night hit differently. From the first song of the night Failure Is The Mother of Success, the atmosphere was electric. The Tolbooth isn’t a huge venue, and that added to the feel of the show. You weren’t watching a rock show so much as sharing a moment with a band that has soundtracked people’s lives for more than three decades.
Nothing Ever Changes But The Shoes (from our aforementioned first cassette of course) followed before one of the night’s genuine highlights, Sleepaway. If ever there was a Wildhearts song that deserved more love, it’s this one. An absolute underrated banger from Ginger’s remarkably deep song-writing catalogue. Then came Mazel Tov Cocktail, which triggered one of the loudest singalongs of the evening. Hundreds of voices roaring every word back at the stage in imperfect unison prompting a wee grin from our Ginger dreadlocked hero. It was one of those unforgettable moments where the crowd almost becomes another member of the band.
The set balanced newer material and fan favourites as they worked through the likes of Vernix, Kunce, Maintain Radio Silence, Cheers, Spider Beach and Everlone. The always-entertaining riffs and medley reminded everyone that few bands can cram as many killer hooks and meaty guitar riffs into a set as The Wildhearts. Slaughtered Authors was next before Chutzpah, before the encore delivered the knockout blow with their closing My Baby Is A Headfuck . One of a dozen bangers from the still-bone rattling Earth Vs The Wildhearts album they could have dipped into as they sent everyone home grinning, battered by riffs and drenched in sweat.
We’ve seen The Wildhearts many times over the years. Some shows were chaotic. Some were triumphant. Some were both. But standing in Stirling watching Ginger grin through the songs, hearing the crowd sing every word back at him, it was impossible not to wonder how many more opportunities there will be to witness this band. Nobody knows the answer to that question but what we do know is that if this turns out to be one of the last times we see The Wildhearts, then it was one hell of a way to do it. Of all the Wildhearts gigs we’ve attended, this one sits right up there with the very best. Thanks for a wonderful night gang and we’ll see you at Download this weekend. 10/10
Written By: Eric Mackinnon
