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Hard Rock
Earache
New Release
Massive Wagons
Live At The Great Hall
Reviewed in issue:
114
Release Date:
27 Mar 2026
Reviewed by:
🟣 Graeme Wright
For Fans Of
Those Damn Crows
The New Roses
Kris Barras Band
Top three tracks
• A.S.S.H.O.L.E
• Play Stay Calm
• Bangin’ In Your Stereo
Fireworks Verdict:
"All of the band’s big songs are given a run through"
THE REVIEW
Words Of Wisdom!
I first came across Massive Wagons a few years ago when they were playing with Ugly Kid Joe in Liverpool. Their performance that day blew me away, and I have seen them in the flesh many times since that eventful show, from small intimate venues, through record signing events, right up to larger academy venues. The one constant is the sheer quality of every one of these live shows. One of my abiding memories of any gig in the last ten years is that of lead singer Baz (Barry Mills) crowd-surfing over the heads of his audience while sitting in a large inflatable rubber dinghy.
While I love everything that Massive Wagons have released so far, it is in the live arena that they really excel, and to that end, they are about to release their first live album ‘Live At The Great Hall’, recorded over two nights at Lancaster’s Great Hall, bringing Rock music back to that historical old building, which had been silent to this kind of music for far too long. A big part of any Massive Wagons show is the constant banter and humour from Baz, and I was worried that the live album would curtail some of his chatter. Well, I needn’t have worried, because this record captures the absolute essence of what it is actually like to attend a Massive Wagons show.
"Their performance that day blew me away"
We open with ‘Back To The Stack’, which clearly demonstrates the massive influence Status Quo had on the band (if you follow their social pages they often talk about Francis Rossi and co.). All of the band’s big songs are given a run through, from the heavy riffing ‘A.S.S.H.O.L.E.’, via the fantastic ‘Please Stay Calm’, right through to the insanely catchy Rock dance-floor filler ‘Bangin’ In Your Stereo’. They are all here, albeit in souped-up live show versions, and you really do get the feeling of “being there” when you listen to this record.
This band has a real connection with its audience, from the older, grey-haired, “been around the block a few times” geezers like myself, right through to young kids who rock around enthusiastically to huge tunes like ‘Nails’. It’s a bonus that every member of the band are genuinely nice guys, who go the extra mile to keep grounded while they achieve ever-increasing levels of success year on year.
"I, for one, am proud to be defined as being a full-on fanboy of Massive Wagons."
I, for one, am proud to be defined as being a full-on fanboy of Massive Wagons.
Reviewer:
🟣 Graeme Wright
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