The Almighty, Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy frontman Ricky Warwick takes his solo tour for his upcoming Blood Ties album to Milton Keynes and leaves everything on the stage.
Ricky Warwick And The Fighting Hearts
The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes – 9 March 2025
Words And Photography: Robert Adams
There is a very healthy crowd gathered this Sunday night at The Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes as Ricky Warwick and his Fighting Hearts stroll on stage to the dulcet sounds of Frank Wilson’s Northern Soul classic Do I Love You. They instantly light the fuse, and an explosive You’re My Rock ’n’ Roll gets the show started.
There is barely a pause for breath before Thin Lizzy classic Are You Ready springs forth, with The Craufurd Arms crowd answering a definitive yes. The Road To Damascus Street follows, and this is already a fantastic gig.
Pausing for breath and a guitar change, Ricky thanks the crowd for coming out on a Sunday night and we get the first track from his forthcoming excellent Blood Ties album, Angels Of Desolation. Ricky said that it was only the second night of the tour, so hopefully they would get it right. He need not have worried, as The Fighting Hearts are tighter than a drum skin.
Ricky then dips into his Black Star Riders catalogue and we are treated to a blistering version of Another State Of Grace. This is the joy of seeing an artist like Ricky Warwick live. With so many arrows in his quiver, his solo shows are like the greatest hits of rock.
Back to Ricky’s forthcoming Blood Ties album, and we get current single Rise And Grind, with Ben Christo doing an admiral job with Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr’s ripping guitar solo.
Celebrating Sinking and When Life Was Fast And Hard fly past before the second single from Blood Ties gets an airing. The Lizzy-infused The Crickets Stayed In Clovis is just joyous.
The Almighty’s Over The Edge gets The Craufurd Arms rocking like maniacs, and by this point, Ricky Warwick’s smile is almost as wide as the stage, and he is actually sweating from his fretting hand. 
We’re then back to Ricky’s fantastic solo catalogue with two new tracks, Crocodile Tears and Don’t Leave Me In The Dark sandwiched around the truly wonderful When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues).
Although Warwick has been part of quite a few wonderful bands, his solo catalogue is well worth investigating. He covers a myriad of styles, from acoustic singer/songwriter to full-throttle, pedal-to-the-floor rockers.
Schwaben Redoubt lays a major claim to the song of the evening. Think The Pogues in full-blown punk rock mode, and you are almost there. The Heartbreakers Born To Lose is dedicated to David Johansen, who passed away last week.
Lead guitarist Ben Christo messes up the intro to Fighting Heart, leaving Ricky laughing like a drain. “It’s only our second gig of the tour,” he laughs as Christo takes the blame. Starting over, it sounds incredible.
The gig closes with The Almighty’s Free And Easy and Black Star Riders’ Finest Hour. As far as gigs go, this is right up there with the best. The Craufurd Arms is a small venue and Ricky Warwick And The Fighting Hearts treat it like they were playing Wembley.
Not only is Ricky Warwick one of the hardest-working men in rock, but he is also one of the nicest. Taking time to meet everyone after the gig for photos, signing and catching up with old friends.
If you get a chance to catch him on this tour, take it with both hands. You will not be disappointed. All the live dates and in-store’s can be found at RickyWarwick.com/live.
