Posted by Before they set off for Manchester and then mainland Europe southern rockers Gov’t Mule stopped off at the Kentish Town Forum in London. They did not bring a support band either, so the part of london that was not glued to the ultimately boring Champions League final were gifted with nigh on three hours of unfettered Mule.
An amped up version of the traditional folk song ‘Railroad Boy’ started off a night of two halves which spanned all of Mules discography, from their self titled debut to 2017s marvellous Revolution Come… Revolution Go. Their 1998 album Dose was not neglected either, as the primal bass-fuelled heaviness of ‘Game Face’ attested to. Their latest record was given a good showing, with the soulful ‘The Man I Want to Be’ and the funky-blues masterclass ‘Revolution Come… Revolution Go’ showcasing a band in full flow and totally in tune with one another.
The first half was drawn to a close with a surprise guest appearance, none other than Joe Bonamassa. He joined them on stage for two songs, the Warren Haynes penned bluesy epic ‘If Heartaches Were Nickels’ and Jeff Beck’s jazzy instrumental ‘Freeway Jam’, and seeing them in unison and trading solos was a rare and glorious thing to behold.
Restarting proceedings with the slow building power of ‘Thorns of Life’, they continued the second half exactly where they left off. Whilst the venue may not have been packed out everyone was certainly in great voice, with feisty rocker ‘Bad Little Doggie’ and the Allman Brothers Band classic ‘Soulshine’ going down a treat. They ended a great night with the easy going ‘Endless Parade’, whilst it was not quite as endless as some of their gigs Gov’t Mule put on three hours of the finest, improv heavy southern rock around. It is easy to see why the die hard fans keep coming back for more.
8/10
Lofty Music and Film 