In the battle for punters between King Kraken, a Wales v England rugby game and Sir Tom Jones at Cardiff Castle, Feral Sun and This House We Built supported South Wales Sea Monster King Kraken at The Patriot Home Of Rock in impressive style.
Feral Sun – This House We Built
The Patriot, Crumlin, Newport – 5 August 2023
Words and Photography: Paul Hutchings
Feral Sun
Main support Feral Sun have been around the block a few times. They’ve been here before, but as frontman Mick Burns acknowledges, the venue was a lot smaller then.
Tonight, they have the full stage and use it to bring a polished performance that combines newer material with older tracks from their 2014 album Evacuate. Yes, 2014.
The band are over a decade old and, at times, appears a little rusty in their performance. Musically, songs like Take This Away, Breathe, and the adventurous ballad Save Yourself work well. Their playing is tight, and Burns has the pipes to deliver.
As they warm up, so they throw off the shackles, and by the time they reach the final duo of Into Pieces and Falling, they are much more relaxed, reflected in a second-half performance which is much more impressive.
Having travelled to Wales from London, it’s an opportunity to impress. I’m not sure they hit top gear, but by the end of their set, I was happily noting their name as a band to add to those playlists. One to catch again for another viewing, for sure.
This House We Built
I knew nothing about This House We Built before their 40-minute set. The Scarborough outfit are firmly on the radar now, though, with an entertaining performance which overcame any minor niggles with sheer energy and enthusiasm.
Power and passion are key ingredients for any band, and This House We Built have both in spades. Led by the energetic Scott Wardell, they play a warming brand of classic rock that benefits from the harmonies on the chorus courtesy of bearded bassist Wayne Dowkes and guitarist Andy Jackson.
The latter proves to be a versatile musician with a fine voice, evidenced by his lead vocals on the final two songs, There She Stands and My Old Friend. It’s a deserved ovation that greets them at the end.
Opening a night like this is never easy, and This House We Built belied their relatively short time together to produce a solid show that was thoroughly enjoyable.
