Cardinal Black

From the first chord to the last lingering note, Wales’s finest soul-tinged alt-blues roots rockers Cardinal Black owned Electric Bristol, in Bristol, like it was an intimate club; as they breezed through their latest album Midnight At The Valencia and dipped into their first, January Came Close.

The band confidently kick off with the opening four tracks from new long player – Ride Home, Falling, Keep on Running and Holding My Breath – paving the way for 14 tracks and 100 minutes of top-notch rock and blues from one of the best bands around.

The heartening thing about their rise is that they have done so with a low key and casual stage show without gimmicks, relying instead on sheer quality. Tom Hollister’s vocals are rich, deep, and soulful and honorary Bristolian Chris Buck, who lives in Clifton, fully deserves the guitar plaudits he has been receiving. But that should not diminish the key role played by drummer Adam Roberts, bass Sam Williams, and keyboard player Matthew Evans.

On Holding My Breath, Hollister digs to his core as the instrumentation sizzles and throbs. Chris emerges out of the sonic haze delivering a sharp, jazzy, Rory Gallagher-styled solo that dissolves as quickly as it appeared.

There was an air of expectancy and then a surge of energy as the band delivered the double whammy of Terra Firma and Jump In from January Came Close without pause. You already sensed Cardinal Black were in the mood.

The balance between vulnerability and raw power, the trust in silence, the confidence in dynamic shifts, all of it made for a show that was more than a collection of songs. It was a statement: the Cardinals have paid their dues, they’ve sharpened their voices, and now they’re stepping fully into a new phase.

Cardinal Black have the blues by the shed load; gravelly and gritty yet anointed with a medicinally smooth wrap, exemplary perfection personified. From the start, the rich vocals of frontman Hollister, all hipster beard and flat cap, has an effortlessly bluesy tone, an almost soulful quality.

And then Chris let’s rip with his array of killer riffs or spellbinding solos, played most of the time with his eyes closed, his fingers flashing across the fretboard with unnerving speed and not a single downward glance. It’s as if his guitar is a moulded part of his body and despite the complexity of his playing, not a note is wasted or missed.

With a tone that is melodic, but in your face — bright, urgent, and edgy – he is an extraordinary musician. Like Jeff Beck, he uses distortion and feedback effects; intensified the effect of bending notes on the guitar; and widened the range of expression that could be coaxed from the guitar. He walks side by side with the true guitar greats as he creates a layer of soloing that pierces even the coldest of hearts. A soulful player with the most majestic touch.

The beauty of their songwriting is in the spaces they leave for the songs to breathe, creating the most glorious cinematic quality, ambient soundscapes that allow you as a listener to get lost in. Fuse that with a band on another level of musicianship and here is something truly magical.

The songs standard remains high throughout the set, but highlights include the anthemic Tell Me How It Feels and Where Do You Go, whilst the constant encouragement from the stage for audience participation hits its peak with Warm Love.

The band’s love for their music is evident, Tom acknowledges the unusual juxtaposition of his jokey on-stage demeanour sitting alongside the darker, thoughtful, side of life his lyrics. Adeline eloquently and passionately describes the pain of being away from your family and is named after Tom’s daughter.

Prior to the encore, Chris talked about the death of his father and explained how he had sketched out just a few words and chord ideas for a song about him. Band lyricist Tom took Chris’s idea and intuitively created exactly the right melody and words and Push / Pull was the result.

It is on Holding my Breath where Chris really opens up for the first time with an extended solo. As always, it is song-focused and as much about tone, touch and feel as it is technically proficient and his work carries as much flavour and emotion as Tom’s voice.

Irish singer-songwriter and support slot Nathan O’Regan popped up mid-set to join the headliners and sing parts of Morning Light. The singer recounts a one-night stand. The song starts slowly, gradually erupting into a roiling mass of blues-soaked chords as he howls “Don’t you put your trust in me,” then drops down to a whisper as the intensity downshifts to just piano, organ and vocals.

On a night of sustained excellence, the rousing Your Spark (Blows Me to Pieces), a heartfelt tribute to Tom’s wife, stood out as an highlight. Hollister testifies that “It’s you I want” with the furious fire of the finest soul men, backing off only when Chris launches into a solo. As he came to the end of his second scorching solo, the music majestically swells up again, and Tom came back in, just a touch higher than before, reprising the “I can’t make it if you don’t make it” refrain.

They followed that up with crowd favourite Tell Me How It Feels, that explore themes of unity and struggle, and it just can’t get much better than that. The song emphasizes the need for understanding and support in difficult times, reflecting a sense of vulnerability and longing for connection.

On Warm Love he borrowed a phone of a crowd member to film Chris during another wonderful solo, while the crowd joined in on the ‘yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah’ climax. The main set ended with fast, up tempo West Coast sounding Where Do You Go.

From the haunting introspection of Push/Pull, written in the wake of Buck’s father’s passing, Hollister’s evocative lyrics and Buck’s virtuosic guitar work shine throughout, and you could hear a pin drop while they played it.

A remarkable show came to an end with a marathon, benedictory slow-building blues track Tied Up In Blue complete with another exquisite guitar solo, leaving the audience feeling they had been part of something very special.

Cardinal Black has clearly defined and refined their direction, displaying the instrumental talent, rugged songwriting and churning arrangements which should advance them to greater commercial heights. This was a stand-out gig from a standout band who continue to grow in stature.