Live Review: Drive By Truckers @ The Empire.

by | May 19, 2014

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

I had never seen Georgia based band Drive By Truckers before, and I was extremely excited to photograph and experience a night of live music at Shepherds Bush Empire. The band’s music dates back three decades now and I spent the days prior to the show catching up on the music I was previously unfamiliar with.

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

The show was the closing date of their UK tour and it looked to be a really cracking gig with the crowd at the Empire  eager for some great rock music.

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Heartless Bastards, a four piece from Ohio, opened the show up. Front-lady Erika Wennerstrom delivered a powerful performance with a strong stage presence. The opening act had a good mix of blues and country music and I would recommend giving them a listen.

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Heartless Bastards play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

The now packed venue greeted the band with a roar as Drive By Truckers casually entered the stage. Vocalists Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood rotated vocal duties, with Cooley opening the set up with Made Up English Oceans from their 12th album English Oceans, followed by Patterson with Girls Who Smoke.

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Some of the many highlights of the show were the great southern drawl cover Play It All Night Long written by Warren Zevon with the chorus  line “Sweet Home Alabama, play that dead band’s song” and the  song Lookout Mountain from the 2004 album The Dirty South. If  you have never been to Lookout Mountain in Georgia then Google it to see what they are sing about…watch out for that drop.

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

The band played for about two hours building up a wholesome sweat, dedicating the emotional closing song ‘Grand Canyon‘ to a friend of the band, Craig Lieske, who died last year.

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Drive By Truckers play Shepherds Bush Empire (Solange Moreira-Yeoell)

Live review and photographs by Solange Moreilla-Yeoell. Drive By Truckers @ Shepherds Bush Empire 13th May 2014.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000UDZhuMOHjxk” g_name=”Drive-By-Truckers” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”casc” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”600″ height=”450″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”#ffffff” bgtrans=”t” btype=”new” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”flip” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” linkdest=”c” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” f_smooth=”f” f_up=”f” target=”_self” ]

 

Sabaton @ The O2 (Catherine Beltramini)

Sabaton Ignite The Stage With An Historic, Explosive Spectacle At The O2 Arena

Few bands embrace spectacle with the conviction and ambition of Sabaton, and their latest live performance proves once again that the Swedish power-metal titans have elevated historical storytelling into an art form all its own. Renowned for transforming pivotal wartime chapters into thunderous anthems, the band delivered a concert that felt more like an epic saga brought to life, complete with firepower, orchestral majesty, and immersive theatre.

Wolf Alice @ The O2 (Neil Lupin)

From Dive Bars To The Dome: Wolf Alice’s Homecoming At The O2 Is A Career-Defining Triumph

There was a crackle in the air before Wolf Alice even stepped onstage, the kind of charged, anticipatory energy that only comes when a band returns to the city that made them. From their scrappy London beginnings to two sold-out nights at The O2 Arena, this felt like a coronation years in the making.

Carpenter Brut (Førtifem)

Carpenter Brut Unleashes New Single ‘Leather Temple’ And Teases Final Chapter Of The Leather Trilogy

French synthwave powerhouse Carpenter Brut has returned with Leather Temple, a punishing and atmospheric new single that offers the first, ferocious taste of the third and final instalment of his long-running Leather trilogy, due in 2026. Loaded with abrasive beats, metallic textures, and a rising sense of tension, the track arrives as an immediate statement of intent: this concluding chapter will be darker, heavier, and more cinematic than anything that has come before.

Kelsy Karter & The Heroines @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Kelsy Karter & The Heroines Ignite The O2 With Riotous Rock & Raw Charisma

Kelsy Karter & The Heroines stride onto The O2 Arena stage like they own every inch of it. The Australian–British...
n0trixx (Andy Ford)

n0trixx Announces Debut Album ‘A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia’, Shares Harrowing New Single ‘Revenge On God’

Russian-born, Lancashire-based “bedlamcore” artist n0trixx has announced her debut album A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia, set for release on 13th March 2026, alongside the arrival of its uncompromising lead single Revenge On God.

Reading Festival 2023 (Luke Dyson)

Reading & Leeds 2026: A Festival Weekend Poised For Pop, Punk, And Everything In Between

The first wave of names for Reading & Leeds Festival 2026 has landed, and it promises a bank holiday weekend...
Gipsy Kings (Press)

Gipsy Kings Featuring Tonino Baliardo Announce New Album ‘Historia’ And Share Lead Single ‘Señorita’

Flamenco icons Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo have announced their new album Historia, set for release on 15 May 2026. The record marks a major new chapter for the GRAMMY®-winning group, who first reshaped global pop in the late ’80s with their pioneering blend of flamenco, Latin rhythms, pop hooks and genre-spanning influences.

Charlotte Sands (Megan Clark)

Charlotte Sands Announces New Album ‘Satellite’ & Shares New Single ‘One Eye Open’

Alt-pop powerhouse Charlotte Sands has announced details of her new album Satellite, set for release on 6th March 2026. Alongside the news, she has unveiled a brand-new single, One Eye Open, offering another electrifying preview of what’s to come.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing