Hellfire! Can this be our cricket club?

Review from The Times & Star - Northumberland Newspaper - Published at 05:23, Friday, 10 April 2009

Hellfire Preachers, Lanercost Cricket Club The nine-year-old girl adjusts the red pompom in her hair and slides down the bar stool. The nine-year-old boy is collecting glasses. Each eyes the band.

They will grow up thinking that bands this good are an everyday fixture at cricket club pavilions.

The adults are packed in – shoulder to shoulder on primary-school chairs. As the evening wears on, they will wish they could grab a dance, hold on to a partner, spin their heads back and upwards like they used to.

On a summer’s night, should the Preachers be tempted back a third time, they could do this on the lawn, by the cricket scoreboard, perhaps under a moon, with the Priory as backdrop.

The Preachers are black clad, Union and Confederate embattled, mixing their big country railroad twang (nurtured in Preston, England) with Bob Dylan. Indeed, for all Dave Gardner’s songwriting and craft (Black Dark River and One Step From The Blues amaze), these Hellfire Preachers could do with a Dylan or Petty or Neil Young upfront to take them to megastardom – and likely away from English cricket pavilions.

Nylon string guitars (home-made, one taller than a harp) create waves of twang, just as their ‘support’ Michael Chapman created symphonies with his own two hands just an hour before.

One has to pinch oneself to remember that this is Lanecrcost Cricket Club.

STUART CLARKE

Hellfire Preachers’ hot sounds at Lanercost

Published at 05:15, Friday, 12 December 2008 - The Review from the Cumberland News

The Hellfire Preachers, Lanercost Cricket ClubThe Hellfire Preachers describe their music as ‘dark Americana’ and ‘southern fried sound’ but this gave no hint of what a seriously good band they are.

I have seen some great acts at Lanercost Cricket Club since they started putting on live music a year ago but these four guys from Lancashire – Dave Gardner (guitar and vocals), Matt Wells (Dobro and guitar), Phil Eaves (drums) and Dave Stearstree (upright bass) – topped the lot. And by some distance.

Michael Chapman, making a guest appearance, opened the night, before giving way to the Preachers who started with a Gene Clarke (Byrds) song.

With songs by Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Neil Diamond and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards the evening moved on at a pace.

However the band was most at home with their own compositions and after a superb version of The Stones’ Wild Horses, with Michael Chapman joining in on guitar, they ended the night with a rousing version of their own Losers Paradise.

It was certainly ‘paradise’ for those in attendance and a pity for the ‘losers’ who weren’t attracted to this great band by the ‘dark Americana’ tag.

STUART HAMILTON

Warwick Mill Business Centre

These four guys from Lancashire ......... are phenomenal DO NOT MISS THEM!