LIVE REVIEW: NEEDTOBREATHE, Mosa Wild, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 20/09/2024
Photo Credit: Kevin O’Sullivan
NEEDTOBREATHE made a triumphant and very much overdue return to the UK, handily selling out O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and showing London just what makes them such a globally popular band. With support from special guest Mosa Wild.
It’s been quite a while since NEEDTOBREATHE were last over. A solid nine years, in fact, with a 2015 show at Camden’s KOKO marking their last UK appearance, most parts of mainland Europe having waited even longer — and a lot has changed in that time. Four studio albums, a handful of EPs and singles, and three live albums; more than some bands release over a full career.
To say their eventual UK/EU return was highly anticipated, then, is an understatement. For the crowds of people queuing up outside of the West London staple, a heady mix of anticipation, excitement, and pure frustration hung in the air. They were finally getting to see the South Carolina favourites, but only after having waited for so damn long. Would the band live up to the expectations?
Well, before getting to that, it was time for the support. Despite the odd technical glitch, and frontman Jim Rubaduka getting his songs mixed up, Mosa Wild’s set was frankly phenomenal. With the likes of older favourites like Smoke and Night going hand in hand with newer tracks like I Might Let You Down, or released-that-day single Spinning, newcomers were blown away; meanwhile, fans who had been lucky enough to encounter the Ashford-based indie quartet before experienced a new level of confidence from a band that graces the live circuit too rarely. As the special guest for the majority of the UK/EU tour, let’s hope that that changes soon! 9/10
After a short wait — though it likely felt much longer for those front few rows in the crowd with VIP lanyards that had been standing there for hours — it was time for Bear Rinehart and co. to finally return to London. Jumping straight into the rocky-and-bluesy GREAT NIGHT, taken from 2016’s H A R D L O V E, Shepherd’s Bush were immediately met with what they’d been missing the past few years, by way of a nearly-decade-old song that finally got its London debut, along with album-mate Don’t Bring That Trouble. And, despite ostensibly being a tour set to celebrate recent ninth album CAVES, the setlist beautifully spanned the band’s long and varied career, as well as helping to touch the past few ‘eras’ of the band that Europe has been missing out on.
“The way I see it, there’s been nine years of built up energy and we can spend it all tonight”, Bear declared, after emotional ballad, and Out Of Body fan favourite, Banks — and he wasn’t kidding, with the likes of squealing guitars and gospel-esque piano flourishes, harmonica soloes by pianist (and recent solo artist in his own right) Josh Lovelace, Tyler Burkum-led guitar soloes, and beautiful acoustic set pieces, consisting of oldies, fan favourites, new-comers and stunning surprise covers alike. Sure, who wouldn’t expect the powerful Washed By The Water, the five piece, banjos in hand, arrayed at the front of the stage; and anyone who’s paid attention over the past decade has seen Testify quickly becoming a setlist mainstay. The appearance of Tom Petty favourite You Wreck Me, however, preceded by tales of vehicular sabotage, drawing circles and being ‘banjo-touting rednecks’ in a pre-Mumford & Sons world, was a lovely surprise; the medley of NO EXCUSES and The House Of The Rising Sun, meanwhile, was just flawlessly phenomenal. People wax lyrical about how good NEEDTOBREATHE’s harmonies are, and Bear’s voice in particular, but it’s only in something stripped back like that that you can really tell that you’re in the presence of greatness.
All too soon, it was the end of the night. ‘Closer’ The Outsiders, an early stand-out stemming from all the way back in 2009, saw the loudest sing along of the night, fans who have followed the band since the early days being drowned out by new fans thankful for finally getting to scream along to some of their favourites, right up until the band had to vacate the stage.
For about three minutes, of course — as if they weren’t going to play Brother? With Bear quickly jumping down to the barrier and meandering through the crowd, the rest of the band happily holding down the wholesome fort, the night just felt… complete. Despite most of the crowd not actually being able to see Bear throughout the long-awaited band’s fan-favourite, the immersion gave the show an added oomph for intimacy, and the sort of closeness that crowds in the band’s native lands over in the US could only dream of. The only comment would be to perhaps explore a bit more of the crowd in future — as it stood, the right side of the crowd got front row seats for Bear’s in-crowd performance, while the left side were mostly met with the odd glimpse of his cream cowboy hat amongst the upraised phones.
A final showing of West Texas Wind, even seeing the entire crowd reduced to a pin-drop silence as the band played off-mic, brought the show to its natural conclusion, and the crowd to an understandably resounding crescendo of cheers. And, with a setlist showcasing the South Carolina rockers departing from their more acoustic, Christian rock-esque roots, you really couldn’t have asked for more — except perhaps another show this decade! 10/10
Written By: James O’Sullivan
