Review & Photos By Scott Anderson
When Rivers Meet are a Blues / Roots Rock duo from Essex, England and have been on the blues scene since the introduction of debut EP The Uprising which has gathered a lot of attention since it was brought to us in April 2019. The band followed that up with Innocence Of Youth in May 2020.The Husband & Wife duo have gone from strength to strength and even caught the attention of Cerys Matthews on The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2. The band have given us Liberty in 2017, The Uprising EP in 2019, Innocence Of Youth in 2020, We Fly Free in 2020, Saving Grace in 2021 and they dropped their epic new album Aces Are High upon us and bring their fantastic brand of blues / rock to the fine folk of Glasgow tonight at St Luke’s, the place is buzzing and ready for tonight’s killer show and as the lights dim the duo stride onto the stage to rapturous applause as the White Stripes belts out through the house PA.
As the husband and wife take their places they are met with hollers and fist pumps as they dive straight into the Aces Are High album with a killer rock n roll groove that brings us –
Infected that has a sultry vocal assault that just brings the blues to Glasgow tonight as this powering band unleash the rock n roll on the fine folk @ St Luke’s tonight. The place is buzzing as Grace steps forward and just brings us a sweet melodic tone that really mixes well with the musicianship on show tonight, Aaron is right by her side as he brings a fuzzy riffed guitar groove that just delights this swelling audience.
They take the applause and continue the theme with a foot stomping rendition of Seen It All Before which whips the crowd into a frenzy tonight, they are grooving and strolling around the stage as they deliver a faultless set that is really getting the crowd all warm and fuzzy as they bring us a real killer show that is a new venue for the pair as they thank us for coming out and really making them feel welcome. Although this is primarily an Aces Are High set we get a another killer groove with Play The Game that just tells us that this fantastic unit are really honing their craft and bringing the big guns to Glasgow with the awesome Play The Game which just gets this crowd moving,
The place although not full is really getting into this gig as they belt out classics and new offerings that just put a smile on your face for sure. Grace bellows out how you doin Glasgow as we bellow back woohoo and throw our fists in the air. We dip our toes into Saving Grace with a rousing I Can’t Fight This Feeling which gets the place on it’s toes and really brings a fuzzy guitar riff roaring through St Luke’s tonight. Up next Bound For Nowhere,
My Baby Says That He Loves Me before we roll in We Fly Free with a couple of bangers in the form of Battleground that just erupts with a frenzy of snare drum beats that fill every corner of the venue tonight as the place really welcomes this fantastic band to their fine city tonight, we slow the pace down a little with the rocking ballad I’d Have Fallen that really showcases the versatility of this band as they bring depth, blues and a real sense that Glasgow has taken them to their hearts tonight. We pause as Aaron chats and thanks us for coming out to this awesome venue and introduces us to his new guitar which brings a huge cheer as they tell us they can’t understand our accents and that makes us chuckle before they launch into another Aces Are High belter,
Trail To Avalon is a real grungy foot stomper that gets the juices flowing as Grace & Aaron hit the strings and bring us a real killer lick that just ripples all through the venue tonight and just gets our feet moving, the rhythm section is commanding the room from the back as it hits us with all it has as cymbal crashes fill the air and snare kicks really grab our attention for sure as the place just erupts in a hail of applause as Grace chats with us and tells us the tour is going way to fast but they are both loving being on the road as they tell us they are bringing it down a little with a chilled out rendition that lets the smooth track unfold as Eye Of The Hurricane pours from the stage and Aaron lets his gravelly vocals take us to somewhere new with this incredible reworked version that just stops us in our tracks as Grace slips in with her incredible vocals that just give this track depth and some heat.
The mellow arrangement shows the diversity of this pair as they gel together and just mesmerise us with their incredible finger work that is soaring through St Luke’s tonight. We take it up a notch or two with a salvo of Aces Are High tracks that come thick and fast in the form of By Your Side which is slow burning ballad that really lets Aaron & Grace bring their incredible vocals to Glasgow tonight which delights this swelling crowd. Searing guitar riffs erupt from the get go as Aces Are High kicks in the doors and gets the place all hot and bothered as we hurtle through this meaty setlist as the place just gets all hot and bothered with this epic setlist that is just brimming with hits old and new as this duo brings it tonight, we get single after single as Perfect Stranger comes at us and really bands out a punchy groove that bounces off every wall in the place as this roaring track catches our attention with it’s punchy rhythm section that is kicking in and is followed by a funky bassline that really gets us moving. We are treated to another couple of bangers from Aces Are High in the form of The Secret & 5 Minutes To Midnight that just get us grooving as the duo have just brought the blues / rock groove to Glasgow tonight as we really get the cut of their jib tonight,
we are hurtling through this meaty setlist as we have covered all the bases tonight. Walking On A Wire comes at us and we slip into the final tracks of the night as we get colossal guitar licks that have taken us one way then the next as this crunching 4 piece have stretched us to the limit with a great night of blues rock that has been driven by soaring vocals, slick guitar work which has been finished with a killer rhythm section that was on point. We stroll into the final 3 tracks of the night with Free Man and another blast from Aces Are High with Golden and the final flourish that is the epic Did I Break The Law that just brought the house down as we feel the funky groove fill the venue and let us know that Grace & Aaron will be back later in the year, this was a fantastic night that rocked Glasgow to it’s very core as we were treated to great music with lots of swagger and killer vocals that were on the money.
When Rivers Meet –
Grace – Vocals / Mandolin / Violin
Aaron – Vocals / Guitar / Cigar Box
Matt – Bass
Foxy – Drums
Setlist –
Infected
Seen It All Before
Play The Game
I Can’t Fight This Feeling
Bound For Nowhere
My Baby Says That He Loves Me
Battleground
I’d Have Fallen
Trail To Avalon
Eye Of The Hurricane(Friend Of Mine Pt 2)
By Your Side
Aces Are High
Perfect Stranger
The Secret
5 Minutes To Midnight
Walking On The Wire
Free Man
Golden
Did I Break The Law
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