Review: Cardinal Black- Komedia, Bath

Cardinal Black’s performance at the Komedia, in Bath, was not only a testament to their skill but also a showcase of their connection with the audience.

The band sang 13 songs in a 90-minute gig and delivered an evening of roaring, soulful, moving and inspirational guitar driven alt-rock.

While they may only have made steady headway in terms of artistic output, the overall rise of the “oldest new band in the world” has been nothing short of meteoric.

Building on the success of their debut EP, the Welsh contingent has continued to make impressive strides, selling out back-to-back academy tours in America and the UK.

The Welshmen’s first album January Came Close is an unequivocal labour of love, combining rock and soul-soaked blues to magnificent effect – introducing singer Tom Hollister and the award-winning Chris Buck as world-class talents.

A year after unveiling that album, the cogs of the machine finally aligned as vocalist Tom Hollister, guitarist Chris Buck, drummer Adam Roberts, added keyboard player Gregg Hollister, bassist Sam Williams and singer Tay Cousins.

Coming onto a dimly lit stage, decorated with old radios and standard lamps, Cardinal Black made a lowkey start, with a couple of new, unreleased songs in Ride Home and Falling – short by their standards and, in the case of the first, unusually with no guitar solo.

Then they performed Ain’t My Time and Jump In. Backing singer Tay Cousins came to the fore and Chris Buck’s searing solos expanded the allurement while Gregg Hollister’s keys brought it all together.

On Ain’t My Time, Williams’ adept bass work played a salient role in distributing a sense of warmth to each corner of the track. It featured the first of Chris’s great solos and backing singer Tay Cousins reinforced Tom’s vocals, giving them a gospel feel.

A sense of liberty can also be assigned to their staggering playing style which, despite the band’s tight assembly, meant each member was free to express themselves.

Frontman Hollister had an effortlessly bluesy tone, an almost soulful quality: bearded, bespectacled and flat capped, with a casual manner and witty banter.

Chris Buck was unassuming, calmness personified.

He focused on his guitar, playing the simple parts effortlessly, able to send chills down the spine with his lead breaks that flow organically.

Roberts and Williams were a single unit, the backbone of the band and they rarely, if ever, skipped a beat.

Williams later demonstrated his power with a blasting solo that brought the set to a raucous crescendo.

With each member bringing their A-game, Cardinal Black delivered a comprehensive sound, which simultaneously felt both minimal yet complete.

They graced us with another two new tracks in Morning Light and Holding My Breath and already I know their newest album, Welcome to The Valencia, will be a success.

The former, at eight minutes long, was a typical Cardinal epic, switching tempo every time Chris struck a well-placed power chord and then back again.

The band fell beautifully into Terra Firma with a Pink Floyd intro where Chris weaponized his strings to hit like a stun gun.

And then came the endless magic of Warm Love, with that solo that makes you find yourself suddenly and involuntarily holding your breath to.

There are times during the set when Tom stopped singing and Chris made his guitar sing, his playing extraordinary and effortless.

Throughout the evening the conversation between the band and the crowd made this more than just a play through of tracks: Hollister’s personal ballad dedicated to his daughter Adeline and Your Spark (Blows Me To Pieces) featured two crisp, inventive, solos from Chris which led to spontaneous applause.

The sweet solitude of Warm Love, where keys man Gregg played a supreme bit of piano, was a real sing-along belter of a song that the crowd duly obliged, with harrowing Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! gliding gently into Chris’s resplendent guitar work.

The main set ended with the raw powering blues of Where Do You Go, another sing-along, as Tom encouraged the fans’ participation and left everyone longing for a rousing encore.

When Hollister and company returned to the stage, new song Push/Pull was performed before ending with the album closer, the gorgeous slow-building blues track Tied Up in Blue.

Tied Up In Blue included a breathtaking David Gilmour-esque guitar solo from Chris before Tay Cousins and Tom Hollister again showcased their spectacular vocals. You could just close your eyes and lose yourself in the enchantment that flowed from the stage.

The old songs were beautiful, the new songs were impressive, and the world lay at the feet of Cardinal Black.

Wonderful musicianship, and a bond that goes back decades; they are, quite simply, one of the finest bands around right now.