A bit of a different one for us today, especially for the Bodega, as we headed along to see the American roots icons Uncle Lucius. The band’s first tour of the UK in eight years, and another album released since then, they certainly had a lot of catching up to do! They’re currently still on their Around the World in 30 Days tour, and had not long flown from Australia, with Europe up next, but still made a couple of stops off in the UK to show off their talents. So we knew we just had to come down to the show and see just what they were like live, especially after enjoying the album so much! Check out what we thought below!
First of all, supporting were a band I’d never heard of before, but quickly fell in love with. The English soul-roots-rock-country fusion band were somehow not on my radar before now, but they have a big new fan in me! The Exile Club have had a massive year in 2024, and deserve everything they’ve gotten as they are five insanely talented songwriters and players. And not only that, but they are born performs too, each having their own moments to shine both in the solo parts and outside of them. And the combination of Abbie Middleton and Joe Hazell practically fronting the thing is awesome, them both playing off each other well vocally and in their performance, and they are captivating to watch. However, that shouldn’t take away from the other three, who are just as great. And not only that, but their stuff packs a punch live too, even more so than on track. They won the crowd over in a big way, and are sure to be a massive name in the scene sooner rather than later!
And then we swiftly moved onto the headline act of the evening. The club was quickly packed out by the time Uncle Lucius took to the stage, making for an incredibly warm experience, to say the least! However, that didn’t matter, and didn’t stop the band from utterly blowing me away. The professionalism and tightness of this band are off the charts, every cog moving like a well oiled machine and making it seem like such a smooth show. They are all insanely talented individuals and players, and it all combined together perfectly. And they sound just as good live as they do on track which, speaking as a musician, is no mean feat!
Kevin, however, is truly on another level. Again, I don’t want to take away from the rest of the band as they are all insanely talented in their own rights, but Kevin is an effortlessly magnetic frontman. His Southern drawl and charm make him captivating, and he is honestly one of the most underrated vocalists around today, especially in a live setting. I loved every single member of the band for their playing, but Kevin really nailed it for me.
And of course, the band played an incredible set list of older hits and newer bangers. My favourite off the new album, ‘All the Angelinos’, was an early-set highlight, while tracks like ‘Holy Roller’ and ‘Mockingbird’ had the crowd hooked throughout. We even got a couple of covers snuck in for good measure, both of which were great! It was a great, chilled out set of US roots music!
And there we have it, folks, what an excellent night! Both bands more than delivered, and had the crowd in the palm of their hands throughout. I love that this sort of music is starting to take off in the UK, and really can’t wait to see how far Exile Club climb, I’m gonna have to see them again soon! I cannot recommend either band enough, be it live or on track, so go away right now and listen to both! And thanks again to the amazing Lime Tree Music as always for hooking this up for us!
Uncle Lucius are Kevin Galloway (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Doug Strahan (lead guitar), Jonny Grossman (keyboards and lead vocals on select songs), Josh Greco (drums), and Drew Sherger (bass) and honestly they barely fit on the stage of the Bodega!