Live Review : CJ Wildheart + Stuntface + The Raging Mabels @ The Tivoli, Buckley on April 26th 2024

When you think about The Wildhearts, there are certain pictures that immediately come to mind. From a musical point of view they are very positive, but from a relationship point of view there has been a toxic dynamic for a long time. The band thrives, falls apart, splits, reforms, thrives, falls apart, splits in an endless cycle that has gone on for years now. Eventually there has to come a point in any dysfunctional situation where you have to walk away for the sake of your own sanity, and it seems that after many years of being drawn back in for the highs, CJ has finally managed to find himself in a situation where he is older, wiser, and comfortable in his own skin.

He’s fallen in and out of other bands over the years (as well as having his little sideline of Devilspit hot sauce) and in terms of solo output has been almost as industrial in his songwriting as the other Wildhearts stalwart who we are not going to talk about tonight. A new album “Split” with a new band and a new attitude means that although the shackles of the past may never be entirely shaken off, the outlook for CJ is currently looking very promising.  

First support The Raging Mabels made me smile just with their name, as any diehard will know that one of CJ’s solo albums was also called Mable. Small world. These Mabels are a little worrying at first though, they are a 3-piece and the guitarist has some weird and wonderful very obviously home-made guitars lined up. I am expecting blues. I don’t get blues. Instead it’s a mishmash of sound with twin vocals and some interesting guitar sounds as at least one of these fabulously individual instruments (the one made out of a kitchen chopping board) only has 4 strings. It’s raw and punky, light and heavy at the same time, imagine someone playing Motorhead but in bluegrass. Kind of that. It’s cheerful, a little DIY and raw in places but there’s a song that sounds a bit like Queens Of The Stone Age, there’s a bass riff that brings Aerosmith to mind. The difference is the attraction here, and The Raging Mabels were different enough to be interesting without veering too far away from a rock core.  

Stuntface are celebrating an anniversary tonight, but it’s a little unclear what kind. It may be when they formed, it may be a particular album, it may be something else entirely but something happened 25 years ago and it seems that the band at least think it was a Good Thing. It is said that old punks never die, they just reach a stage where their haircuts are no longer stiffer than their knees and that seems to be the case here tonight. The songs are fast-paced if a little folky occasionally, the vocals are three-part goodness and there is a na-na-na chorus which is nearly as good as a woah-oh one. The music is modern punk, shades of Green Day and The Offspring, and it’s catchy as well as quick. The speed and energy are enticing, and although in a couple of places it got a little samey it was a good watch overall.  

There are a few artists out there in current year who have been in famous bands (even if just for five minutes) and have now built themselves a career based on the legacy of the past rather than their current strengths. I’m happy to report that CJ Wildheart isn’t one of them. Instead he has returned to his own roots and delivers a set that is upbeat, funky, punky and cheerful. With eight solo albums to his name as well as a couple of releases with The Jellys and Honeycrack and of course the ubiquitous The Wildhearts material there is plenty of back catalogue to draw on, and it’s pleasing to see that The Wildhearts songs chosen (‘Hit It On The Head’, ‘Little Flower’ and ‘OCD’) are deep cuts written by the man himself rather than the more well-known hits. It was a little disappointing that there was no song from his short-lived hair metal phase in the Tattooed Love Boys, but I suppose one can’t have everything in life!  

The set is fast-paced and irresistible. The touring band are tight as a duck’s chuff and CJ has a good line in between-song banter that showcases a wry sense of humour and a couple of rather naughty stories! Remind me to tell you about the Wildhearts and dwarf-throwing sometime….. His music is a little wild, a little untamed, a little edgy. It loses nothing by being a bit rough around the edges though, polishing these songs might be possible but it would not add any value to them as they already stand on their own merit. A highlight was ‘S.D.E.’ from the most recent album, which we learn actually stands for Small Dick Energy and turns out to be a captivating slice of melodic punk; another was a romping clapalong version of  Honeycrack’s ‘Go Away’ which had the whole crowd bouncing along like a room full of space hoppers.  

The whole set screams out that we have here a man who has made peace with himself and is happy to embrace his past whilst also being excited for his future. He even sends good wishes to Ginger with his upcoming re-invention (for the nth time) of The Wildhearts. His favourite phrase seems to be “Stay Free”, a sentiment that we can all get behind I think.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
CJ Wildheart, Stuntface, The Raging Mabels