The Wandering Hearts – ‘Mother’ Tour

The Wandering Hearts will always soothe the soul. None more so than on nights like this. For such has the frustration, expectation and manipulation weighed heavy on me this past Easter week, that to enter Gorilla and experience the refreshing tones of the trio’s harmonies is a gift duly embraced.

An air of nostalgia also helps. Support from Pearl Charles brings a throwback to the Glam Rock era. Indeed, her Los Angeles roots may explain her penchant for the kind of Country-Rock sound that emanated there from the same period. Playing music from her album ‘Magic Mirror’ alongside new material, the addition of disco funk ensures a ‘70s vibe encapsulates her whole set, with delightful abandon.

She is perfectly suited to open for The Wandering Hearts whose identity is partly shaped by the spirit of ‘Woodstock’. Indeed, a visit to the festival site proved seminal in the creation of their self-titled album. Their new one, ‘Mother’, contains fragments of that same Americana sound whilst also leaning more firmly into Folk. The resultant set is awash with soaring vocals, delicate performances and pulsating moments. The incorporation of songs from ‘Wild Silence’, their debut album, contributes to a greater array of flavours that blend well into a collective whole. At the same time, songs such as ‘Devil’ and ‘Rattle’ are subtly transformed to match the band’s present sound, without taking anything away from them.

They open the night with ‘About America’ and ‘Still Waters’, the first gently upbeat, the second rousingly reflective. The latter is also prescient to my emotions, with the chorus – “My body’s made up but my mind is a mess / So hard to focus when I feel like this” – washing over to embrace me in its familiarity. Perhaps “Sometimes it is better when it ends in tears”. Then ‘Wish I Could’ explodes with an almighty bop as a reminder of their toe-tapping quality before ‘I Feel It Too’ and ‘Not Misunderstood’ return to that soft sleight of hand for which they are well known.

The mandolin in Chess’s hand is a sure sign that ‘Devil’ is on its way. And sure enough, it is the next song, complete with the biggest cheer of the night bar the finale. ‘Waiting’ and ‘Change for the Good’ follow, one of those pairs linked somewhat by a loose theme. The first expresses a gracious love in the face of irreparable relationship. The second offers a sacrificial love in the hopeful search for reconciliation. Both capture a depth of feeling to which some may relate. As do ‘Tired’ and ‘Hold Your Tongue’. I certainly appreciate the connection with the former – its need for solitude, restoration, and healing. But it’s the other that feels spine-tinglingly relevant tonight. For having experienced veiled criticism, stony-faced opinion, and obsessively-controlling behaviour in the days before, the lyrics seem to speak right into my situation. And the bridged conclusion – “I know this isn’t about me if you can’t see / Let’s agree to disagree / We can stop this before there’s too much damage done” – reflects my own.

Only music has the ability to be both relatable and releasing simultaneously. To hear myself in the echoes of The Wandering Hearts’ music is gratifying. To be able to forget myself for a time in the unrestrained melodies of a ‘Build a Fire / Fire & Water’ combo is invigorating. The encore featuring ‘River to Cry’ seems like the ideal way to end: not a neat conclusion but holding both aspects in tandem. There is something about its tuneful association with ‘Down to the River to Pray’ (Alison Krauss) that also makes me lean into my own faith.

After a trying week, this gig was just what I needed to restore a bit of balance to my life.

This review was written after the Manchester leg of the tour. For further dates and tickets, click here.

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Featured Images (C) TWH/Pearl Charles