Live – Bob Vylan at Chalk – Breaking Glass Magazine

Bob Vylan at Chalk, Brighton, 22nd October 2024

After a string of summer festivals and dates in the States, Bob Vylan kicked out on the UK leg of their latest tour last night at a sold-out Chalk in Brighton 11 months since they last played the same venue, and it’s been a busy best part of a year in between. Their third album Humble As the Sun released in April continues to push boundaries, tracks like He’s A Man and Dream Big already popular from previous live dates.

The foray into meditation and light stretching still starts off the show, both Bobs smiling and looking relaxed even before it begins. They state they’re happy to be back in the UK, and it’s pretty clear that the feeling is mutual. Chalk is rammed, hot and sweaty, and bouncing wall to wall before too long. Reign and GYAG appear early in the set, setting the pace for plenty of crowd participation, the surfers making regular appearances as the evening progresses (inevitably including Bobby).

Their live reputation goes before them and they somehow manage never to disappoint. Boundless energy, a case full of jagged current-day protest songs, their voice is important amongst today’s music scene and they use their platform to maximum effect. I’m Still Here waxes lyrical, ‘A peaceful type of brother with a war inside my head, I’m all for loving living, but keep a bottle by the bed, because it’s brutal, life has been so strange and so unusual’, while He’s A Man is straighter to the point, with the opening line, ‘Loves a chicken korma, but hates the hands that cook it’. Lots to say, lots that needs to be said, Bob Vylan take no prisoners with their message but balance the heavy content with an always exceptionally fun night out. Hopefully it won’t be another year before they’re back in town.