Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Riots can come in all shapes and sizes, they can be easily silenced and quelled, they can become so meaningful that revolutions are given birth from their humble beginnings and like all popular uprisings, nearly always stem from one particular cause or pursuit. In the case of the superb The Buffalo Riot, the root cause is simple, the sound is wholesome and harmonious even when for the purposes of an acoustic gig they slim down from their normal five piece to a slender and melody driven twosome.

It is that rarer country sound that the Unity Theatre as part of the Liverpool Acoustic Festival 2016 was given access to and the pleasant accord, the sweet taste of aural finery was enough understand that riots are there for a reason, to bring an agreement to the streets that things must change, that life must be about sensation, the sensuous and the vocally sumptuous.

For The Buffalo Riot the richness of the band, whether in the form that sees them deliver their new album out this May or in the two part harmony presented before the Unity Theatre crowd, is to feel immersed in the nectar of the Gods, that ambrosia of longevity and lushness that comes with the intensity of stirring vocals and the deep satisfied moan of an acoustic guitar being treated as if it the last beautiful instrument on Earth.

Now in its fourth year, the Liverpool Acoustic Festival at the Unity Theatre was treated to The Buffalo Riot performing five songs that tripped off the tongue so easily that they could have been delivered by Federal Express with accompanying red carpet and security guards making sure that the item was delivered perfectly and the velvet guide ropes were not breached.

With songs such as Holy Rollers, Take My Chance, Southern Gothic, When the Morning Comes and the compelling 1996 in tow, The Buffalo Riot made sure that the evening’s performance, whilst short for sake of time keeping within the festival, was still undertaken with sincerity and the sense of craftsmanship associated lovingly with the band.

A timely reminder of just how good The Buffalo Riot are, a band of richness in the same way that The Eagles gave meaning to the world, a true delight as the first rays of Spring filtered underneath the cracks of the doors of the city.

Ian D. Hall 2016