Manchester Academy 2
16th April 2026
Robert Jon & The Wreck evoke the sounds of the South at Manchester Academy as fifty years on from their heyday, the spirits of The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd et al are kept alive for lovers of classic American Southern Rock.
There’s a long queue as I walk down Manchester’s Oxford Road. Gen Z’s clean cut kids are out in force; they’re mostly quiet with heads bowed, focused on their phones. There’s a K-pop act in town. Toward the back, another queue overlaps. They could be the K-Poppers ‘ unruly parents and grandparents, and there’s a buzz of chatter and anticipation in the air around them. They’ve got a more dishevelled look with much more hair; leather, denim and band T-shirts are their garments of choice. Welcome to the world of Robert Jon & The Wreck.
A cursory pre-gig listen to opening act Sam Morrow suggests an artist playing country-tinged, sometimes mellow classic rock. Live though, Sam and his band prove a harder-edged proposition. Greeting us with his Texan drawl, this is very much a set dominated by straight-ahead, in your face rock. Five tracks in just over twenty minutes pass very quickly; they’re good at what they do. It’s the closing track that intrigues most though; a riff-driven take on Pink Floyd’s Have A Cigar. The vocals may lack some of the menace of Roy Harper’s original, but musically, it’s as heavy as hell. These journeyman rockers can certainly play!
Rear of the stage, a huge banner proclaims, Robert Jon & The Wreck: Rock n’ Roll. You definitely can’t fault the description. For ninety minutes, rock n’ roll, with a few nods to country and the blues, is exactly what we get. But Robert Jon and co aren’t just one of those bands who roll out the same setlist every night. Yes, there are a few tracks that are taken as given, but beyond, their ten album strong arsenal boasts an ever rotating carousel of delights.
The Devil is Your Only Friend, their opener, feels like a statement of intent. Drums roll and Henry James’ slide guitar responds before the riff kicks in and Robert Jon’s hoary vocals transport us back to the sounds of the American South. Blame it on the Whisky is more melodic and opens with a country feel and Jake Abernathie’s keyboards to the fore, before the first of tonight’s extended guitar breaks takes off. The piledriving riff in Back To The Beginning Again could easily be Led Zeppelin. It prompts the bandana clad guy next to me to holler in my ear, “The first gig I came to in here was Led Zeppelin in 1971.” Yes, it’s that kind of crowd, and Sittin’ Pretty, which follows, brings more unfiltered raw rock n’ roll.
A trio of tracks from the current album, Heartbreaks & Last Goodbyes, follow. Highway brings back the melody. It’s a soaring mid paced ballad in the classic rock mould that highlights the range in Robert Jon’s voice. Better Of Me takes us back South and could pass for a Lynyrd Skynyrd track with its honky-tonk piano and rock n’ roll phrasing, and Keep Myself Clean follows in a similar vein but boasts an earworm chorus that lingers.
Sensing the moment’s right to pause, we’re introduced to Jake Abernathie on keyboards and invited to sing. It’s his birthday today, and of course, we oblige. Rescue Train brings on the blues and proves a signal for the band to stretch out. Robert Jon certainly has a voice befitting the genre, but when the track evolves into an extended jam, it’s Henry James and Abernathie who impress most as they trade licks on guitar and keys.
Oh Miss Carolina is simply southern country rock at its best; greeted by hands in the air and a chorus sung by hundreds. For the casual listener, it’s probably the band’s best known song, and it doesn’t disappoint. Closing number, Cold Night is probably the closest we’ll get in the twenty first century to the spirit of The Allman Brothers. Opening with jazz tinged bass and delicate keys, it quickly evolves. As the track ebbs and flows, this is guitarist Henry James opportunity to shine and wow, he doesn’t disappoint. How long does it last? Ten, fifteen minutes, it’s hard to tell. Immersed in the virtuosity before us, time just seems to stand still.
Can they surpass it? Realistically, no, but they’re up for the challenge. Returning to encore, Rager abandons subtlety and hits us with straight ahead hard rock. And then they’re gone, off to inspire and entertain another crowd, no doubt with a different setlist tomorrow night.
Tonight’s been a night to savour the past; a night to enjoy and perhaps relive sounds from more than half a century ago. Robert Jon & The Wreck may not score highly in originality, but they epitomise everything a live band should be: outstanding musicianship and great entertainment.
Robert Jon & The Wreck can be followed on Facebook|Instagram|and theirwebsite
Sam Morrow can be followed on Facebook|Instagram|and his website
Words and photos by Trev Eales. More work by Trev can be found on Louder Than War at his author’sprofile.
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