Wayward Sons headlined the Waterfront Studio last night [January 25] after their original November 2018 show was cancelled due to illness.
There's a lingering feeling this show has been cursed.
The original date in November was pulled when Toby Jepson succumbed to laryngitis. And while the Wayward Sons frontman put out a statement explaining he was as gutted as anyone else at the situation, promises by bands to reschedule postponed dates don't always come to fruition.
Reschedule for tonight they have, though, although we're greeted on the door with the news that support band Doomsday Outlaw have dropped out through illness.
And when the 8pm stage time for Wayward Sons comes and goes, with the intro tape of AC/DC, Bowie and Springsteen well into its second loop, there's a nagging fear that this show is well and truly doomed. Perhaps this just isn't meant to be.
But that's all forgotten as Jepson and friends finally make the stage, blasting straight into Don't Wanna Go – possibly the best track on their Ghosts of Yet to Come album, with its addictively funky riff.
Former Little Angels singer Jepson isn't resting on his laurels. This is much more than the Angels Part II, and songs such as Alive are heavier than most of his previous output.
Crush has a Thin Lizzy feel to it, and there are hints of New Wave (such as in Small Talk) during the course of the evening. It's great to hear a 'classic' band pushing the boundaries.
There's a welcome nod to Little Angels with the one-two of Young Gods and Kicking Up Dust, and we get a couple of covers of Blondie and the Stranglers, but the strength of Wayward Sons' own material is strong enough to carry the night by itself.
Something Wrong is a bluesy number that grows throughout, and Jepson's request for the audience to give a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to new songs including The Joke's on You get the right answer.
With the band about to return to the studio to record two more albums, these new tunes suggest an exciting future for Wayward Sons. It's also hard to remember seeing a band having quite as much fun.
Until the End follows the even better Radio Denial to close the show, and while there might have been a postponement and a no-show from the support band along the way, it all ultimately proves to be a triumph.
• For more Norwich music follow Enjoy Music More on Twitter and Instagram
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here