Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): Rockers Through the Ages Christmas Party: Jayler, Gorilla Riot, Voodoo Sioux. KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton. Saturday 20th December, 2025

My final gig of 2025 was a wee trip down to KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, with an overnight booked at the Wolverhampton North Premier Inn. Last time we attempted this journey, my partner in crime (Bob) took ill on the way down, and we had to leave the gig early. This time, we chose our meals wisely.

(Bad news about Tebay Services: whilst its interior refit looks great, they've decided to reverse their dog policy. Dogs are not allowed beyond the foyer. Shame they can't do the same for the children, given the shrieks emanating from the Kids' play area.)

We found the hotel and chose to eat dinner in the Beefeater next door, figuring anywhere decent in town would be heaving with Christmas shoppers. Then we drove in and met up with Bob's festival buddies at Jack's Cafe & Bar, opposite the venue. While at that establishment, we struck up a conversation with other gig attendees, who warned us that the street parallel to the venue was a notorious hotspot for car crime. I didn't attempt to park anywhere else and tried to put it out of my mind (fortunately, nothing bad happened).

There was a fairly long queue to get into the gig, so I missed out on a barrier spot once we got inside. I hung back, then spotted a couple of short ladies near the front in the centre, and stood behind them, ending up about three from the front by the time Voodoo Sioux came on.

They were a big surprise. Their singer, Professor Balthazar (aka Nick Flaherty), is a curious character. A pensioner punk with a fuzzy mohawk, stage makeup and a smile like a 7-10 tenpin bowling pick up, he struts the stage in between his bouts of singing, sipping water, then spitting it out like a fountain. His voice is rather good, though. Equally odd is their bassist, Mario Ermoyenous, who twangs the strings at weird angles and grins like Dr Teeth from the Muppets. The sensible one, Jon JB Blakey, on guitar and backing vocals, is a revelation, both as an excellent singer and guitarist. He provides a solid foundation to the wackiness, as does the drummer, Nige Halford. I had expected to dislike them, but quickly warmed to their performance. Quirky but fun.

Thank you to the band for posting this on FB for me,
as setlist.fm hadn't been updated to include any sets from the gig.

Gorilla Riot, I love. This was the prime motivator for making the journey down, even though it was only a support slot. Their gutsy, blues-infused rock is always great. Arjun, on vocals and guitar, is a cool frontman with an acidic wit. They visibly enjoy themselves as they play. They gave a rock-solid performance tonight.

Setlist:

Wrong Side of Town
Molotov Sister,
Kerosene Clown,
Hungry Like the Wolf,
Last Hymn,
Half Cut,
Bad Son,
Dirty.

(Thank you, GR, for replying to my FB request with this list.)

Jayler are a young band going places. They've not even released their debut album, yet they've sold out a 2,000-capacity venue (also helped by an excellent support lineup). If you've seen the film The Substance, imagine Robert Plant's spine opening up to reveal James Bartholomew, and you wouldn't be far off the mark. He is a supreme talent, vocally, on guitar and harmonica. The other band members play their parts well, but James is the star (and he's not even old enough to drink alcohol in the States yet).

Early on, I felt Tyler Arrowsmith's guitar sound was being lost in the mix, compared to when James was playing. This may have been intentional, given the musical styling, but it initially put me off. By the end, though, they were rocking the room big time.

For such young men, they've done so well to build a following. With tours supporting Sammy Hagar and Deep Purple next year, their careers will turn stratospheric. I felt lucky to catch them again on their way to superstardom.

Thank you, Charlie Power, for posting this on the Jayler page for me.

The next day, a weird thing happened after I posted enquiries on the bands' Facebook feeds about their setlists. Voodoo Sioux posted a picture of the setlist (Bravo!). Gorilla Riot listed the songs they played. James from Jayler replied with a thank you, then commented on a couple of my public Facebook posts, asking me to message him.

So I did.

What followed was a bizarre conversation, obviously with a bot, making up shit in response to my questions while indicating he was upset. It provided me with an inaccurate setlist, told me someone named John in the front row had received the cake for his 50th birthday, and then told me 'he' was uncomfortable with my questioning. No shit, Sherlbot!