We finally made it out for one last gig for 2021 a year that I have not really felt like going out much, and nights out in December are tougher yet, with all the memorials this time of year, but when this show as part of the Warner Elf Hodges Christmas Party tour was announced The Dirty Strangers were due to be the main support, sadly due to circumstances of the times we live in, they had to cancel and were replaced by The Dead Hombres who are nowhere near as legendary.
Still we sadly missed the opening act as it may well have been Matt Tensheds who I really want to see having reviewed his incredible album The Days Of My Confinement last year.
We got into the Dublin Castle just as The Dead Hombres were about to begin playing there set of Psychobilly Link Wray rumbletastic Rock 'N Roll with what I guess is called Cool Rockin' Hombre and all song titles are guesses.
They did there best to get Under Your Skin that has a nice psychotic beat and Nigel's grizzly vocals. He really did try to act like he was Born To Kill as his wife Tracy kept him well in tow with her ever rumbling Rickenbacker bass.
They got a bit more lovey dovey on the break-up brawl of Hearts in Flames that Tracy took lead vocals on. Soon enough they had to show us there best rumbling train rhythm for Hell bound Ghost Train that had good barked out vocals and Jeff Emsley's rock-solid drumming taking us down the tracks.
It seemed like there material was totally familiar as they reworked classic riff after classic riff while making sure that they kept all the Crazy People right on the Tip Of My Tongue as you could hear long dead tunes being revived and re-worked in a fun set that went down pretty well.
After the break it's time for Warner Elf Hodges to take us on a sleigh ride to a Christmas guitar wonderland with his current British band with John Powney on drums, Jumpin Jason Knight on stadium filling bass and Ben Marsden on lead guitar.
I think they may have opened with Time Marches On but either way it had Warner's signature twang town sound all over it and Jason was jumping around on bass like he was playing a stadium.
They played Ain't that Far away like the bunch of Gunslingers they are as it became clear that while Warner was singing Ben would be unleashing the incredible solos as Warner really sleighed on Rhythm.
Warner gave thanks to our Lord Dan Baird before they launched into Nickel And Dimin' that Warner co-wrote with him, it was as wry a look at business machinations as it could be and is off of Warner's latest album Just Feels Right. They kept the theme going with a very twangy If Money Talks.
Warner then gave thanks to Joel Blanton for writing Company Man that takes on a few of the wrong people you meet in the music business and had another incredible solo from Ben. They then took The Higher Ground which on this stage is about 2 feet, but Jason's leaps made it more like 3 feet.
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Don't Bring Me Down isn't a cover but another song from Dan Baird and Joel Blanton to keep us all smiling at how much fun the band are having. It was followed as it is on Just Feels Right by Take Me Downtown to a place that gets as twang town as this.
Abracadabra and they won't reach out and grab you, they will just rock the living daylights out of you instead. It was no lie that this lot were Preachin' To The Choir and it was about as political as they get a real hope for a far more reasonable world to live in.
Then Warner switched his Stetson for his Elf hat so they could go all Springsteen on Run Rudolf Run of course with a good few nods at Chuck Berry too. They then hopped on board the Last Train Outta Town and what with the Covid restrictions tightening it felt like Warner may need to catch the last flight out of Heathrow to get back home to Nashville.
Warner then dug deep into his back pages for a riotous run through White Lies The Jason & The Scorchers hit. Before covering the Cheap trick classic I Want You To Want Me that I have to admit I prefer by Letters To Cleo, either way just about everyone sang along to it, as it was a really fun twangy power pop take on it.
It was then time for a boyband cover with a great run through AC/DC's Let There Be Rock, without any need for anyone to wear shorts, although Jason was more than ready to give us all his AC/DC moves.
Not sure how Warner could claim to be Right Back Where He Started but he did and they sounded mighty fine doing it. They then got the whole crowd singing along to Country Roads a song that went from dreadful cliched country to legendary classic status over the years and well some of us may have been singing about sweet home Jamaica but everyone was having a blast.
Warner then dedicated what I have down as I Need Your Love but is probably I Love You Baby to Debs back in Nashville who designed the bands Christmas Merch. That just left them time to close with a mass sing along to Merry Christmas Everybody complete with some great guitar and everybody getting into the spirit.
They did more than enough to get an encore and Warner treated everyone to a great version of Jason & the Scorchers classic Fortunate Son to make sure we all left the Dublin Castle with a smile on our faces.
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