Following on from Michael Monroe was always going to be a tough job, so the question was how well Josh Todd and the Buckcherry boys would do, bringing their L.A. sleaze and attitude to Chalk, a small Brighton club. Well, they gave it one helluva go.
Buckcherry – Rubikon
Chalk, Brighton – 8 March 2026
Words: Adrian Stonley
Photography: Robert Sutton
Whether it was because the show was the last of the tour or not, it seemed that perhaps they were tiring a bit. The attitude and energy were there, the songs were definitely there, and the performance was as well.
On any other night, this would have been a fantastic show, but tonight they had been eclipsed. Don’t get me wrong. Buckcherry came out firing on all cylinders.
Lit Up from their first album, their ode to cocaine kicked off proceedings, and you could not have had a better start. The band were on fire, down, dirty and raunchy. Josh swaggered around the stage. This man was on a mission tonight. The rest of the band were equally aligned to bring Downtown L.A to the Chalk.
With tonight being a double header, it meant that both Buckcherry and Michale Monroe had reduced set times, but both made the most of the time provided. Tonight was a case of quality over quantity.
But Buckcherry are a band who are not scared to mix things up a bit. Hellbound and Ridin are heads down, leap around, good time rock ‘n’ roll. Say Fuck It, a cover of the Icona Pop dance tune, is entirely reimagined, yet unsurprisingly gets a raucous audience participation going.
Gluttony keeps the tempo raised up to 11, with the repetitive chorus of “I want it, I need it, I love it.” Josh struts around the stage as the audience soaks up the moment. They want it, they need it, and they absolutely love it.
Sorry follows. This is Buckcherry’s big ballad, and it hits hard. It is obvious that there are people in the audience who can relate to this tonight. The tempo drops, and the heartstrings are drawn. Hands are raised, and teardrops fall.
The set, like Michael Monroe’s, flies through and we come to the last tune, a medley based around Crazy Bitch’ Yet again, with matters mixed up, including refrains of James Browns Sex Machine and Prince’s Irresistible Bitch and a storming dedication to Tina Turner through a rocked up cover of Creedence’s Proud Man thrown in for good measure.
Rubikon
Unfortunately, due to delays in getting into the venue, Rubikon were already onstage on my arrival and well into their set. As a starter for the night, they certainly did their job, although visually and musically, they did not seem to fit the bill.
That said, their songs and performance were strong, and they more than played their part.
Because of the venue’s early curfew policy, they only have a thirty-minute set to show themselves off, and it is always going to be difficult to open when half the audience is still queued outside.
Yet they are drawn to the stage on arrival, and it is quite clear that those who make the effort to see Rubikon are well rewarded.
The music is hard-driving rock. There may not be the flash and glam of the headline artists, but this is a band who, with a handful of albums already under their belts, know how to work the stage and environment.
There is no messing around, and little audience banter. They need to use the allotted time to the best of their ability, and they do so.
Perhaps with more time to see them, I can have more to say, but they are certainly a band to watch for the future to see how they develop.
