I had a blazing row with a very good friend of mine the other day, I suppose I could have called it a ‘heated debate’ but it wasn’t, we shouted, we laughed at each other and I ended up hanging up on him because he was being a dick! The reason for our spat? I suggested that live albums released by bands are as important as studio releases. He objected to my statement and we spent near on an hour mulling over live albums which he said should never have been released, within this list were the following;

 

Pink Floyd – PULSE

IDLES – Live at Le Bataclan

Iron Maiden – Live After Death (one of my personal all time faves)

Dire Straits – Alchemy (coming in a close second behind the mighty Maiden!)

Nirvana – Unplugged

The Who – Live at Leeds

 

Okay, I could go on but I wanted to get the point across…..There are some incredible live performances here and I rate them as highly as I do their studio releases, shoot me down if you must but you know I’m right and you’re wrong.

So, this takes me to the present day when I hear on the grapevine that a Bristol based dirty rock n’ roll band called MOTHER VULTURE are planning a live album release. My palms went clammy, I had that ‘fizzy’ feeling you get when a pretty girl gives you a smile and, well, you know what I mean, I was excited!

I first saw this tremendous band at a friend’s birthday party in Totnes in 2019, I didn’t know what to expect and from the get go, I was transfixed…… The energy that these guys put into their music was off the scale and I mean OFF THE FRICKIN’ RICHTER…..I have NEVER seen a band spend as long as they did in the crowd as they do on stage, how they never ended up without serious injuries is beyond me! After the show, I introduced myself to the band and purchased a couple of shirts (I like to do my bit!) After chatting for a good 30 minutes, I was their #1 fan, well, I liked to think I was and boy was I hungry for more!

I’ve seen them a few times since and every time, they never fail to disappoint, the energy and buzz that they have going on is immense, you just can’t help falling in love with their epic blend of blues fuelled rock n’ roll which is powerful enough to raise a corpse from its final resting place and give it one hell of a workout before succumbing to rest.

So, they were planning a live album with a twist…..this was to be a live recording but without an audience, ”how the hell was that gonna work”, I asked myself? Well, I actually asked Brodie Maguire the guitarist from the band and he said that they had recorded it live, in a studio last September and it sounded AWESOME, this did nothing to quench my thirst for something that had stirred my loins a couple of months ago, I needed to hear something from it and bugger me, not 15 minutes later, an email ‘pinged’ into my inbox with 3 tracks from the album. I frantically downloaded them and hit play…..oh mama, I was in hog heaven!

Fast forward 9 months and the finished 10 track article is ready to be heard. I was SO excited I pre-ordered 2 copies of the record, this is because I was probably going to wear the first copy out and wanted a second copy to treasure forever.

The album opens up with ‘Tell Me’ a recent track from their repertoire, which fires into life on all 4 cylinders and Georgi’s trademark melodic scream, just the riff alone from Brodie’s beautiful Gretsch guitar is enough to get my feet moving, combine this with Chris’s bass and Matt’s drums and you have the perfect track to open a record.

‘Big Teeth’ kicks off with a lengthy instrumental intro before Georgi comes in with his exquisite vocals. A real barnstormer of a track, dare I say less melodic than tracks that I love them for but no doubt will grow on me nonetheless. Later on in the track, things get gnarly with Brodie’s guitar and Georgi emits a guttural roar akin to a Norwegian Death Metal vocalist, pure class!

 

‘Habits Die Hard’ rolls in with Matt’s persistent drum intro before Brodie and Chris accompany him to lay the foundation for Georg to float over with his tight, melodic vocals. This is one of my favourite tracks and having seen it performed live on a number of occasions, I can honestly say that the recording doesn’t falter in any way, shape or form, near on perfection in every sense.

 

‘Mr Jones’ has Chris moaning and groaning at the start, not in a sexual way, more in a pained manner that did concern me at first but then if you have seen them live before, you’ll know that the meek and mild mannered bass player turns into a freaky hellcat the moment his guitar is plugged in!

 

‘Bleeding Feet Blues’ kicks off with Hendrix-esque guitar noise before the riff kicks in, these guys truly are the masters when it comes to crunchy riffs that you can really bump and grind too and this track is designed just for that.

‘Home Sweet Home’ could have been a country infused ballad with Georgi singing about how he missed his hometown after spending so long ‘on the road’ (think Poison or Bon Jovi), fortunately it’s not! It’s another riff heavy, headbanging, moshpit friendly killer of a track that appeals to rock/blues/metal fans of all ages. When things slow down at the 2:22 stage of the song, you know it’s gonna build back up and with Matt’s bass drums slowly gaining momentum, the crescendo is so worth the wait.

 

‘Fame or Shame’ is another favourite from their live setlist and doesn’t disappoint when transferred to record, I’ll even go as far as to say that it is probably my favourite track on the whole album, it fuckin’ rocks. The riff is heavier than heaven and Georgi’s vocals just tick every box. The chorus is well crafted and the way it drops back into the riff is incredible. Get through this track without your toes tapping and your horns in the air and I’ll happily buy you a beer!

 

‘Jokers Smile’ was a track that I played on my radio show a few months back and received such positive feedback, I had to play it again on a later podcast complete with Georgi’s opening lines of ‘FUCK YOU’ screamed into the microphone. Again, this is a riff heavy monster of a track that has a real momentum to it. Another classic live track that translates really well on the live record.

 

‘Vile Breed/Not Yet’ is a new one on me, maybe they’ve played it live when I’ve seen them in the past, I am normally too tied up not getting a size 9 in my face or Brodie standing on my shoulders to pick up on the song titles…. This has more of a rap/metal feel to it but with a killer riff and bass line behind it. It’s a hard hitting track that, despite being the penultimate offering on the album, shows no signs of letting up at all….not one bit!

 

‘Objectify’ is the last track on the album and THANK THE LORD, kicks off with a relaxed guitar section  with Georgi singing gently over it, a track to finally get your lighters out and wave them in the air along with the rest of the crowd, a chance to get your breath back, nurse your mosh pit wounds and sit back and listen to a band that have the ability to play slow burning tracks as well….. Oh, hang on, I just reach the 1:51 point in the track and a monster has been unleashed, my horns are back in the air, oh no, here we go again! By 2:23, I’ve thrown my water up in the air and find myself back in the mosh pit, jumping around like a man possessed, damn these guys….. What a way to close the album!

So there you have it, my track by track breakdown of this fabulous live record that you need to hear RIGHT NOW, no matter what mood you’re in, what day or time it is, stick it on and you will be blown away. The band released 100 limited edition copies on vinyl (available HERE), I wouldn’t think for one minute that there are any copies left but if there are, snap one up NOW. If you can’t get your mitts on a copy of the record, you can download it via BANDCAMP for the paltry fee of just £5.

In my eyes, Mother Vulture are one of the finest bands on the scene today, whilst not many folk will have heard of them, after they have seen them play live, they will be converted, they will, like me, go out and preach about this fab Bristol based quartet who I know will be blowing the roof off The Cobblestones in Bridgwater on August 28th when they take to the stage alongside heavyweight acts such as Moriaty and Sweet Teef (more to be announced). I’d love to say that I’ll see you there but as I’ll be in France, I won’t! Not that I’m bitter about it at all….. Only 70 tickets are available for this show owing to social distancing measures, so get in there early and bag yourself a couple of tickets, take a friend or anyone who you feel needs a bit of Mother Vulture in their lives (which is pretty much anyone with a pulse).