ROBERT JON AND THE WRECK – Edinburgh Liquid Rooms (Gig Review)

Definitely A Hard Working Band:

One of the hardest-working bands in the business came to Edinburgh as part of their latest tour, this particular show being the first of the UK dates over the next 2 to 3 weeks (with a break to do some shows in the Netherlands… I said they were hard working). The 5 piece are comprised of Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, background vocals), Henry James Schneekluth (lead guitar, background vocals), Warren Murrel (bass), and Jake Abernathie (keyboards), the first 2 guys having been around since 2011, the next 2 since 2017 and the last officially joining in 2023. The band have released 9 studio albums in that time, along with singles and EPs. I did say they are hard-working! Each tour, they seem to end up in bigger venues, which shows that their hard work and their considerable talent is paying off. Since the last time I personally saw them, they have released one album and an EP, so there was lots of new music to enjoy on the night.

(Improvised) Funky Beats:

The band like to jam, not always in a long, extended way, but just adding bits here and there from the recorded output. So many of the songs had added solos, breakdowns, drum and keys fills, etc, which added to the enjoyment. It isn’t like listening to the albums. The albums are consistently excellent, but to appreciate the songs fully, you need to hear them played live. Everything is just turned up a notch onstage. They really express themselves in the moment. Right from opener “The Devil Is Your Only Friend,” where they had a crazy, almost demonic-sounding (at least eerie) breakdown, they constantly added little things to the songs. The band can get funky at times. Two of the newer songs from their 2024 album were good examples of that vibe. “Boss Man” with the “wo-oh” chorus was groovy as it gets with 2 very nice guitar solos, including a slide guitar solo from Henry James. “Red Moon Rising” had a lovely extended opening. Possibly just for tonight, as the guitarists tuned up, both drummer Andrew and bassist Warren just laid down a funky beat, then Jake threw in some ethereal keys to keep things going. They then seamlessly, when both guitarists were ready, slid into the song itself. There was a little extra riff section where guitarists and bassist all rocked together centre stage before the keys took over and Jake got to show off a bit. The crowd cheered all the little additions loudly on this.

A Little Bit Country:

They do sometimes let their country roots shine through, such as on “Blame It On The Whiskey,” where they had some beautiful vocal harmonies at one point. It did almost turn into a “Freebird” moment on the night as Henry James let rip with some fabulous soloing that certainly wasn’t on the album version! They also played the title track of the album that “Whiskey” came from, that being “Glory Bound” (we got 4 songs from that on the night). Once again, a lovely mellow opening with Allman Brothers sounding guitar harmonies floating in and out, a little bit country and a little Southern Rock.

New Material, Strong, Going Down Well:

The 4 brand new songs came over really well. “Highway” had some delightful guitar harmony parts just before the tasty guitar solo.  “Long Gone” was introduced after Robert Jon expressed how cool it was to be in Edinburgh. He spoke about how it was their first UK show on this tour. With that wonderful Southern drawl, he remarked, “It feels good“. The crowd certainly agreed with that comment. “Ashes In The Snow” was beautiful, dripping with emotion and feel with lyrics like “a house without love is a house full of pain” and a lovely slide refrain or melody running through it. Sounded gorgeous. The fourth song from the EP had drummer Andrew more than earn his wages. “Sittin’ Pretty” is probably the heaviest I have ever heard them. By God, it rocked. It even opened with drum rolls, fast, heavy and intense. They then sped up the ending, trying to race each other or at least see who could all keep up. The crowd absolutely loved that.

Keeping The Music Flowing:

One of the things I respect is the way that whilst either Robert Jon or Henry James are tuning up guitars, there is no gaps in sound. What happens is either Warren will start a little bass thing, or drummer Andrew will hit a beat, which both will take up, often quickly joined by Jake on the keys. Those little jams will then often lead into the songs as soon as the guitarists are all tuned up (there are no guitar techs or roadies to hand stuff over to here). Some of the ways they get into a song are very clever and great fun to watch them do.

Tasty Solos, Having Fun:

The whole show was first class, but I have to mention at least another couple of highlights in the set. The epic version of “Cold Night,” which is always a highlight, but tonight’s was around 15 minutes of bliss. Again, we had a jam at the start, a longish bass and drums piece for the keys to join in, then the whole thing kicked in with its classic Allman Bros vibe, guitar harmony-wise. This was another song that showed the versatility of Henry James, who did a variety of solos, most of which were melodic and meaningful, although on the odd occasion, he can also shred, but he tends to focus on feeling and emotion so the solos are never boring, they carry the listener along. At least they do with me. The audience was certainly digging them, clapping along and cheering. There was a great moment on this when Warren threw an unexpected shape on stage, having fun, which Jake obviously never expected, as he started laughing away, almost being put off what he was doing. It made me laugh, that was for sure. Also, a mention for the crowd on “Oh Miss Carolina“. Robert Jon did ask if we were ready to sing. We were so ready we surprised the band. When it dropped down to just vocals and keys on a verse leading into the chorus, the crowd went for it. I was upstairs (being short, it is a good vantage point in that venue) and I heard the voices loud from the floor. Loud and proud. Even singer Robert Jon remarked afterwards, “This is our first show in the UK this tour, everyone else has a lot to live up to to follow you folks“.

Final Thoughts:

Robert Jon And The Wreck are a band that make great music. They are also a band that takes that music and plays it live, making the songs even better. They almost live on the road but they never seem to put on anything other than excellent shows. Even after the gig, they were down on the floor chatting with fans and having photos taken with people, just giving of themselves to the fans. Top musicians and also lovely blokes, there is so much to like about them. They are one of the best bands on the circuit at this moment and deserve to go even further. I have added the tour dates to come underneath with a link to buy tickets, I highly recommend if they are coming near you that you get along. A great night guaranteed!

UK Tour Dates:

April 27: Holmfirth (Picturedrome);

April 29: Hull (The Welly);

April 30: Norwich (Epic Studios);

May 1: Folkestone (Quarterhouse);

May 6: Birmingham (O2 Academy);

May 7: Gloucester (Guildhall);

May 8: Chester (Live Rooms);

May 9: Northampton (Roadmender);

May 10: Portsmouth (Guildhall).

Purchase Tickets: HERE!

Official Website // Official Facebook

New Album Out August 22, 2025: Robert Jon And The Wreck – Heartbreaks and Last Goodbyes