More satanic rites you say? The Wildhearts live in London

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Words and Pictures: Adrian Hextall / (C) MindHex Media

D.H. Lawrence once said;

Long have I waited, never once confessed,
Even to myself, how bitter the separation;
Now, being come again, how make the best
Reparation?

Given the poem is titled “After Many Days”, it seems wholly fitting that, after the trials and tribulations of The Dissolution and Rebirth of The Wildhearts (an album title in its own right perhaps), we see, after many days, a phoenix rising from the flame, a band reenergised, one that seamlessly blends the new with the old, the classics cuts with the deepest rarities and can deliver a 90-minute set that had the urgency of someone falling from the top of a tower block and building the wings that could save them as the fell down. Hmmm.. there’s a lyric there I’m sure.

After a demonstration from socio-punks Meryl Steek (no hits from Mama Mia as I was hoping for but appraently I got my P’s and K’s mixed up), a packed Academy in Islington played host to a band with as many downs as it has had ups over its 30+ years of existence. If you’re a fan, you’ve been there, we all have, we’ve watched from the sidelines as glorious anthem after glorious anthem landed interspersed with many inglorious moments that tested the fabric of the band and indeed, at times, the fanbase. The the true measure however of both band and follower is how you return each time and if the London show was anything to go by, then that return was (copyright Daft Punk), Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Opening with the epic in length, style and stature “Failure Is The Mother of Success”, a song that perhaps best defines the band to a tee, it was a telling moment when the smiles of recognition lit up the entire room, people were singing along and it became apparent that the new material is now the classic material, is now the songs we want to hear played live. The latter being very important when, as an artist, you’ve got to tire of playing same old same old, night after night, year after year.

Thankfully for three fifths of the band (the fifth being the wonderful Carol Hodge on keys and occasional lead vocals) are truly new to The Wildhearts and bring a youthful energy that, alongside the new album “The Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts”, transports us back to those heady days of the early 90s where everything went by in an artificially enhanced haze, some of which we can remember.

Nowadays, the only haze (hopefully) comes from the fog machines on stage to give the lighting a little atmosphere and everything else is razor sharp including mine and many others memories of the show. Mixing old-school Nothing Ever Changes but the Shoes” alongside “Sleepaway”, one of the best tracks on the oft-overlooked “21st Century Love Songs” resulted in the first huge sing along of the night.

It was the follow up, where Carol stepped up alongside Ginger’s breathless intro to help deliver “Vernix” that I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Like “29x The Pain” , “Vernix” is one of those songs that could’a, should’a been a main track on an album yet remains a firm fan favourite.

“But like Winston said “Never, Never Give Up””

What lyric better embodies the spirit of The Wildhearts (apart from maybe Tubthumping by Chumbawumba as I’ve genuinely lost track of the number of times the band has been knocked down and had to get back up again). It’s also no surprise that latest single “Kunce” gets an airing as it reaffirms the fire that has once again been lit in Ginger’s belly.

The mix of old and new continued throughout the show with beer flowing, the band firing on all cylinders and a call and response from both sides of the barrier that saw both “The Theme from Cheers” and “Everlone” being particularly memorable.If there are an infinite amount of universes and as such an infinite amount of The Wildhearts lineups out there, then I count myself very lucky so have seen around 8-9 of those and loved every minute.

Now, typically artists save up their big 3-4 numbers for the encore yet the last seven songs of the night contained nothing that the crowd didn’t latch onto and sing back to the band with gusto.

From “Geordie..” through “I Wanna Go..” and “Suckerpunch” with “Diagnosis” and “Troubadour Moon” all proving the old and new go together like ‘Rock’ and ‘Roll’, this was a triumphant reminder that when the right forces and energies combine on stage, there’s nothing you can’t do. Credit as well to both Ben and Charlie who might be new but feel and play like they’ve been a part of the band since day one. With Jon and Carol providing the glue that binds everything around their front man, if you haven’t seen The Wildhearts perform live recently then have a word with yourself and love for dates including festival appearances in 2026.

Long may this continue. Clearly those satanic rites called forth the right entities to deliver the goods.