Robert Jon & The Wreck
- Mark Donnelly
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
The five protagonists left the stage to loud cheers and a standing ovation from those of us upstairs on the balconies.
Support this evening came by way of Manchester five‑piece The Cornelius Crane (the real name of actor Chevy Chase). Lead singer/guitarist Steve Wilson opened with a typically dry announcement: “We haven’t played together for a while, so we hope we don’t fuck it up!” Fortunately, Mark Adams (bass), Dan Adams (drums), Jonathan Jackson (organ) and Jonny Roberts (guitars) — ridiculed by his bandmates for the length of his greying hair — quickly proved that, aided by a good sound and a “like riding a bike” familiarity, they’d forgotten nothing. They delivered an entertaining eight‑song set beginning with ‘Dead Of Night’.
Steve Wilson opened with a typically dry announcement: “We haven’t played together for a while, so we hope we don’t fuck it up!”
Second song ‘Oklahoma And Me’ was, Wilson claimed, written about a Manchester shop charging £40 for a teapot. ‘The Cage’ carried a Neil Young vibe, ‘Soul In The Lightning’ was Country‑tinged, and ‘They Sail Like They’ve Never Heard A Song’ was written in deference to Simon Cowell. They finished in upbeat fashion and left the stage to warm applause.
The “Heartbreaks And Last Goodbyes Tour 2026” returned to these shores following dates earlier in the year. This was one of two UK appearances and the only venue show of the summer, and they certainly picked a hot one. The band will return again for six further dates in October. The audience demographic meant the upstairs filled more quickly than downstairs, and the venue was close to full capacity by the time the five band members took to the stage. A draped backcloth adorned with the band’s logo set the scene for the hardest‑working band from Orange County, Southern California.
the quintet received a great reception as they casually strode onstage before launching into the blistering ‘Waiting For Your Man’
Starting at 9.00pm, the quintet received a great reception as they casually strode onstage before launching into the blistering ‘Waiting For Your Man’, followed by the Bar‑Room boogie of ‘Blame It On The Whiskey’ and the first of many tremendous solos from Henry James Schneekluth. The hard‑rocking ‘Sittin’ Pretty’ maintained the early momentum. Frontman Robert Jon Burrison kept inter‑song chat to a minimum, preferring to let the music do the talking. ‘Back To The Beginning Again’, taken from Volume 3 of the recently released ‘Wreckage’ series - a historical record of the band’s evolution - featured a fine keyboard solo from Jake Abernathie, positioned front‑right as the fans looked on.
‘Better Of Me’ delivered real Southern Rock with a Country tinge, Honky‑Tonk piano, and another magnificent Henry James solo. Current Planet Rock playlist favourite ‘Arroyo’ was a classic time‑warp back to the seventies. ‘Keep Myself Clean’ had a rock‑solid backbeat from Andrew Espantman (drums) and bassist Warren Murrel. While most of the band look like they’ve stepped straight out of the seventies, Murrel - short hair and sunglasses - resembles a twenty‑first‑century frat‑boy who thinks this is just too cool not to be part of.
Every song was sung with heart and emotion by RJ - one of the band’s major draws - from the glorious ‘Ashes In The Snow’ to the emotional ballad ‘Heartbreak & Goodbyes’.
Every song was sung with heart and emotion by RJ - one of the band’s major draws - from the glorious ‘Ashes In The Snow’ to the emotional ballad ‘Heartbreak & Goodbyes’. The frontman spends thirty seconds to a minute retuning his guitar between songs, which provides natural breaks in an otherwise non‑stop Southern Rock assault. RJ thanked the UK fans for their support over the years. I first saw RJ&TW on their debut UK tour in 2021, which also happened to be my final show before the COVID lockdown. Ironically, they were also the first band I saw when we eventually came out of lockdown. Those early shows attracted around one hundred fans; now they are drawing close to full houses at the Picturedrome’s 690‑capacity.
‘Oh Miss Carolina’ is the closest thing to a signature song, with the Holmfirth collective in fine voice. Along with ‘Cold Night’, it’s the only song to feature in every setlist over the past five years. The set closer was an epic of all proportions: close your eyes at the beginning and you could be listening to the Allman Brothers; ten minutes later, it had transformed into a Skynyrd ‘Freebird’‑style finale, with Henry James playing what felt like three solos in one.
RJ’s final words: “We are ROBERT JON & THE WRECK!”
The five protagonists left the stage to loud cheers and a standing ovation from those of us upstairs on the balconies. The applause continued as they quickly returned for a one‑song encore, ‘Do You Remember’, including band introductions and RJ’s final words: “We are ROBERT JON & THE WRECK!”
Southern Rock royalty in the making.
Setlist (contains spoilers)
Waiting For Your Man / Blame It On The Whiskey / Sittin’ Pretty / Back To The Beginning Again / Better Of Me / Arroyo / Keep Myself Clean / Ashes In The Snow / Heartbreak & Goodbyes / Oh Miss Carolina / Cold Night
Encore: Do You Remember
Photographs by kind permission: Manny Manson
Review: Mark Donnelly
Photos: Manny Manson
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