WAYWARD SONS (Live at The Riverside, Newcastle, U.K., November 11, 2021)
Live Reviews

WAYWARD SONS (Live)

As frontman with Scarborough’s finest, Little Angels, Toby Jepson scored a number 1 album and 10 Top 40 singles before the band folded with Jepson going onto form his own band Toby and the Whole Truth as well as a stints with Motörhead’s Fast Eddie Clarke in Fastway, Gun and Dio’s Disciples not to mention a side career as a jobbing actor, but now he’s back with Wayward Sons, with their third album Even Up The Score, hot of the press. It’s easy to see why Wayward Sons are heralded as the saviours of classic Hard Rock as Jepson plays the consummate frontman while lead guitarist Sam Wood and veteran bassist, Nic Wastell, formerly of Leicester Rockers Chrome Molly, joined Jepson in keeping the energy levels in the red throughout the whole show and all the while drummer Phil Martini, kept everything on track.  It was breathless work just watching them. This would all count for nothing if they had no songs but here, they have them by the spade full from opener “Any Other Way” to closer “Until The End”, the set is crammed full of them spread fairly evenly from all three albums with a healthy eight songs from their latest album, which is a thoroughly refreshing change from many bands who seem to hide their new material away, as if they are embarrassed by new music. Not so, Wayward Sons. The Punky “Sign Of The Times” was certainly apt for the strange times that the world has been going through and so too, the hugely melodic “Faith In Fools”, which could be an anthem for politicians worldwide. Sam Wood’s muscular riffs and sparkling solos were the perfect foil for Jepson’s spirited vocals on the up-tempo “Joke’s On You” and “Land Of The Blind” and his constant smile …READ MORE

INGLORIOUS (Live at the O2 Academy, Newcastle, U.K., October 8, 2017)
Live Reviews

INGLORIOUS / WAYWARD SONS (Live)

Walking into the Academy on Sunday evening there was a real buzz about the place as if those present were on the crest of witnessing something big. The feeling that Inglorious, only two albums into their career, may well be on the fast track to the very top. Prior to the main even, former Little Angels lead singer Toby Jepson’s new outfit Wayward Sons warmed the crowd up nicely with a set drawn from their excellent debut album Ghosts of Yet To Come featuring some fine slabs of commercial edged Hard Rock with I Don’t Wanna Go and the Thin Lizzy fuelled Be Still displaying some sterling song writing. Jepson, who has a Number 1 album to his name from his Little Angels days showed no signs of indignation at returning as an opening act with an assured and imposing performance that only hints at bigger things to come. Last year, Inglorious opened for Last In Line, the supergroup featuring members of Dio, Black Sabbath and Def Leppard in the smaller hall upstairs. Fast forward a year and this show was originally booked for that very same hall until their second album gatecrashed the Top 10 causing a surge in demand for tickets and an upgrade into the main hall. With a new album to add to their highly acclaimed debut album, Inglorious now have a wealth and range of material to draw from resulting in a much more balanced set that ebbed and flowed highlighting the extraordinary vocal talents of Nathan James. Read All About It lit the fuse as the show exploded into life as the brooding High Flying Gypsy and hard rocking Hell or High Water stepped up a gear as returning guitarist Drew Lowe added some real bite to the show. Drawing on influences from 1987-era …READ MORE