Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Those Damn Crows at Asylum 2, Birmingham. February 2018. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

The dragon lives long and breathes fire that catches everything around it alight, the initial spark that comes from the belly of the beast is soon glowing furnace hot and finds a way to demonstrate its wrath. The anger at having been penned in by a society that understands nothing of why the burning issues of the day are important, why just because one person is doing alright, that another should be ridiculed and shamed for not being able to see above the shoulders of those above them.

It is to the dragon’s roar that Those Damn Crows sing loudly and aid the dragon in its quest to scourge the Earth of inequality, of endorsing the fact that everybody has a voice, some perhaps small, some remaining regretfully unheard but in the shadow and echo of the dragon’s bellow and the ashes in which new roots and growth will be witnessed. The band from Bridgend have found a way to join in and with the dragon’s consent, sing with ferocity and play with generosity, music that rumbles deep in the veins and catches the ear burning with deep passion.

Into the Birmingham Asylum the faithful will always follow, and for those who came to see the launch of the Bad Flowers debut album, the surprise that would have greeted them would have been in the shape of Those Damn Crows, the feathers unruffled, the sharp eyes of observation and razor sharp talons ready to break down the walls, brick by brick, one piece of cement at a time in the knowledge that soon such walls will be a thing of a hopeful future.

The Asylum was already rocking and sensing the evening’s vibe as These Wicked Rivers had stoked the fires, it doesn’t take long to see that the dragon finds the music on offer a heart warmer, and wishes to add to it completely and as the night progressed, a set of songs were produced and given free rein to blister the hearts of the lucky and fortunate who had made their way to the other side of Birmingham’s skyline, and it was with a searing flame that the fans of live music had their faces lit up with abundant smiles and renewed optimism.

In songs such as The Fighter, Someone Someday, Rock N Roll Ain’t Dead, the marvellous Devil In My Pocket and Blink of An Eye, Those Damn Crows, Shame Greenhall, Ian Thomas, Lloyd Wood, Ronnie Huxford and David Winchurch, gave the dragon scope to breathe in the atmosphere of The Asylum and reminded the Birmingham audience of nights when venues such as Edwards No 8 and Costermongers were full of heady passion; this was an incredible sound from the Bridgend band and one that was captivating and wholly commendab

Ian D. Hall