Album Review: When Rivers Meet – Breaker Of Chains Tour (Live)

There was a time in the late 1970s when, it could be argued, a number of live albums better represented how a band sounded than their studio albums. I offer Live and Dangerous by Thin Lizzy as exhibit A and Strangers in the Night by UFO as exhibit B (more evidence can be offered, if required, m’lud!). It seemed that playing live brought out the best in some bands, where an enthusiastic audience pushed the artists to greater heights than they were able to achieve in the studio.

When Rivers Meet - Breaker Of Chains Tour - Live coverThis may not be the case anymore, as recording techniques have developed and as artists and producers have worked out how to capture the feel of a band. I must admit, however, that I still have a soft spot for live recordings and, when they are done properly, they still can deliver a little something extra. What do I mean by, “When they are done properly”? For me, a live album should capture something of the atmosphere of the concert: the excitement and noise of the crowd; the energy of the band and a sense that the band is interacting with the audience not merely giving a performance. It should, in short, make you feel like you are there and give at least a hint of the excitement of being at the gig. This means, among other things, that you should feel the audience is present throughout the whole recording, not just at the start and end of each song. For example, you should, at least on occasion, hear the crowd singing along to a song or making their presence felt in some other way (such as the chant of “Angus” in the introduction to “Whole Lotta Rosie” from AC/DC’s If You Want Blood – exhibit C). The question is, have When Rivers Meet done it properly? I’m going to answer with a loud, “Yes”.

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I understand that this double album, Breaker Of Chains Tour – Live, includes recordings from Glasgow and Birmingham as well as songs recorded in other venues too. (It is worth saying at this point that I got an early listen to this album. The review is therefore not of the final mix… which I expect will be even better.) I assume the band want to show themselves at their best and, rather than re-recording sections in the studio (as Thin Lizzy did – allegedly), they were picking and choosing the best recordings from across the tour. That seems, to me, fair play. The recording sounds fantastic, but they still feel live. Grace, Aaron and the band are reacting to the event: improvising and interpreting songs rather than simply reproducing the studio version. This is particularly noticeable with the start of “Free Man” where Grace pulls and stretches the opening lines, catching the audience by surprise as they fail to sing along. Brilliant! We also hear both Aaron and Grace interacting with the crowd – exhorting them to sing, clap and shout along. For example, at the start of “Did I Break The Law” the concertgoers’ choir are encouraged to holler, “Did I break the law” – not that they needed much encouragement to do so! I well remember the attempt by the Glaswegian chorus which made up for what it lacked in tunefulness with noisy enthusiasm. (Can you autotune an audience?)

The tracks on the album cover most of the live set and brought back very happy memories for me. Although no live album can fully capture the live experience, there are some advantages to having a recording. One obvious advantage is that you can listen to the performance many times over which allows you to appreciate again elements you particularly enjoyed as well as to pick up aspects that you missed in the excited heat of the moment. Examples of the my newfound appreciation include Adam’s trumpet playing in “Shoot the Breeze” which sounds even more awesome on this album than I remember it from the night of the concert. At the time, I was just impressed by the inclusion of the trumpet solo, but on listening to the recording I’m blown away by how fat and meaty it sounds. Add in some awesome drumming from James and you have one of my favourite tracks from the album.

Also, I remember being impressed by Grace on the violin but I have developed an even greater respect for her playing as I listen and re-listen to this album. In particular, the violin solo on “Bury My Body” is just gorgeous: poignant and heart rending – it reminds me of Ben Mink’s work on “Losing It” by Rush. Aaron’s guitar solos are also given space to shine. On the night, I was impressed by the dizzying array of guitars he worked through but now I get the chance to appreciate just how much emotion he manages to wring out of his instruments. As for the vocals, I love the way their voices blend and it is hugely impressive how good they sound live. Every time I re-listen to “Tomorrow”, I am struck by how confidently Grace starts the song off on her own, completely unaccompanied. She manages to sound powerful and vulnerable at the same time. Finally, it is also great to hear the support act, Arielle, getting to add her guitar on “Run For Your Life”; her solo brought a different feel to last song before the encore.

Not quite as good as being there, but if you want to hear just how good When Rivers Meet are live, it doesn’t get much better than this! If you do want to see them live (and you do) then the upcoming dates are as follows:

  • 27 April – The Brook, Southampton
  • 28 April – Thekla, Bristol
  • 2 May – Gorilla, Manchester
  • 3 May – St Lukes, Glasgow
  • 4 May – Brudenell Social, Leeds
  • 9 May – Epic Studios, Norwich
  • 10 May – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
  • 11 May – The Garage, London

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Tracklisting:

  1. Play My Game
  2. Never Coming Home
  3. Did I Break The Law
  4. Take Me To The River
  5. Shoot The Breeze
  6. Like What You See
  7. Bury My Body
  8. I Will Fight
  9. Innocence Of Youth
  10. He’ll Drive You Crazy
  11. My Babe Says That He Loves Me
  12. Breaker Of Chains
  13. Make A Grown Man Cry
  14. Tomorrow
  15. Free Man
  16. Perfect Stranger
  17. Lost & Found (featuring Arielle)
  18. Testify

Breaker Of Chains Tour – Live is out on 19th April and is available on pre-order now.

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