Southern comfort (and camaraderie) for a cold evening
Preacher Stone (with Revenant) – Ivory Blacks, Glasgow, 4th February 2026
Preacher Stone (with Revenant) – Ivory Blacks, Glasgow, 4th February 2026
North Carolina southern rock and rollers Preacher Stone are no strangers to Glasgow, having had the city on the itinerary as part of previous UK & European tours of duty.
This time around, in the company of up and coming contemporary rockers Revenant, Preacher Stone were promoting their sixth album By The Horns.
It's a fitting title, because that's exactly how they approached this gig (and indeed the entire tour), as well as providing some Southern comfort and camaraderie for a cold and damp February evening.
Prior to Preacher Stone making their third appearance in Glasgow, special guest Revenant stepped onto the Ivory Blacks stage for their first showing in the city.
While it’s fair to say the majority of the crowd weren’t overly familiar with the quartet’s music, pretty much everyone had become a convert by set’s end.
Opening with air raid siren and a muscly, power-chorded intro, the band rocked into a one-two punch from their EP of one year ago, Best Medicine.
Rock 'n' riffy roller 'Public Service Announcement' (with suitably wicked guitar solo) rocked the rock and walked the Revenant walk, while the EP’s title track was as uplifting and celebratory as it was infectious, radio friendly heavy rock, complete with a tasty solo from big voiced front man & guitarist Sam Lay (guitarist Matt Hudson is also no slouch when it came to firing off harmony lead lines or solos).
It wasn’t all about showcasing recent wares, however, as a couple of new songs also got an airing, including the particularly noteable 'Waste My Time,' driven by the big beats of drummer Carl Donoghue.
Nor was it all about the Revenant rock. 'Healer,' the standout track from the band’s debut EP What a Time To Be Alive, was an emotive, downtempo highlight, as was the amps to 11, heavy rock blues of the Black Stone Cherry-fied 'The Masquerade.'
This time around, in the company of up and coming contemporary rockers Revenant, Preacher Stone were promoting their sixth album By The Horns.
It's a fitting title, because that's exactly how they approached this gig (and indeed the entire tour), as well as providing some Southern comfort and camaraderie for a cold and damp February evening.
Prior to Preacher Stone making their third appearance in Glasgow, special guest Revenant stepped onto the Ivory Blacks stage for their first showing in the city.
While it’s fair to say the majority of the crowd weren’t overly familiar with the quartet’s music, pretty much everyone had become a convert by set’s end.
Opening with air raid siren and a muscly, power-chorded intro, the band rocked into a one-two punch from their EP of one year ago, Best Medicine.
Rock 'n' riffy roller 'Public Service Announcement' (with suitably wicked guitar solo) rocked the rock and walked the Revenant walk, while the EP’s title track was as uplifting and celebratory as it was infectious, radio friendly heavy rock, complete with a tasty solo from big voiced front man & guitarist Sam Lay (guitarist Matt Hudson is also no slouch when it came to firing off harmony lead lines or solos).
It wasn’t all about showcasing recent wares, however, as a couple of new songs also got an airing, including the particularly noteable 'Waste My Time,' driven by the big beats of drummer Carl Donoghue.
Nor was it all about the Revenant rock. 'Healer,' the standout track from the band’s debut EP What a Time To Be Alive, was an emotive, downtempo highlight, as was the amps to 11, heavy rock blues of the Black Stone Cherry-fied 'The Masquerade.'
A cover of 'When The Levee Breaks' (based on the reworked Zeppelin version, natch) was another highlight, with Robin Nutley’s brooding bass line and Sam Lay’s heavy-soul vocal leading the Levee line.
The 45 minute set closed out with the band’s latest single, 'I’ll Be There,' from current EP Black Dogs and Sad Men.
As the title suggests, 'I’ll Be There' is a declaration of support in times of need. Musically the song reaches to the classic southern ballad for inspiration, but it’s the message, and a powerful Sam Lay vocal, that truly carry the song.
In a relatively short time Revenant have established themselves as a solid, tight-knit live band.
But it’s over the last year, with the Best Medicine and Black Dogs and Sad Men EPs, that they’ve proved they also have the material, and potential, to emerge as a leader of the southern-tinged, contemporary hard rock pack, underlined by being made Band Of The Month in February by Emerging Rock Bands.
Like Revenant, Preacher Stone didn’t hang about in grabbing the attention from the get-go.
In their twin guitar, five piece case, that came from a triple salvo of, first, southern rock 'n' rollers 'Hard Life PHD' (from previous album V) and 'By The Horns' (the title track of their current album), followed by the muscly, mid-tempo raunch of the ghostly 'Old Joe.'
As that trio of songs, and what followed over the next 80 minutes or so, underlined, Preacher Stone, fronted by the ever-engaging, quick quipped Ronnie Riddle, are a heady and hardy blend of all that is Southern.
Influences of classic Skynyrd, early Molly Hatchett and .38 Special (in their Southern AOR rock radio heyday) can be heard, but Preacher Stone are very much their own band, with their own brand of Southern, as heard on the groove-driven 'Old Fashioned Ass Whoopin Sum Bitch' (now that’s a Southern title).
And you’ve got to love a band that intro a song called 'That's Just the Whiskey Talkin'' with a harmonised A Cappella rework of 'Lean On Me' ("Just call on me brother, if you’ve drank too much – we all need somebody to drive us home").
The 45 minute set closed out with the band’s latest single, 'I’ll Be There,' from current EP Black Dogs and Sad Men.
As the title suggests, 'I’ll Be There' is a declaration of support in times of need. Musically the song reaches to the classic southern ballad for inspiration, but it’s the message, and a powerful Sam Lay vocal, that truly carry the song.
In a relatively short time Revenant have established themselves as a solid, tight-knit live band.
But it’s over the last year, with the Best Medicine and Black Dogs and Sad Men EPs, that they’ve proved they also have the material, and potential, to emerge as a leader of the southern-tinged, contemporary hard rock pack, underlined by being made Band Of The Month in February by Emerging Rock Bands.
Like Revenant, Preacher Stone didn’t hang about in grabbing the attention from the get-go.
In their twin guitar, five piece case, that came from a triple salvo of, first, southern rock 'n' rollers 'Hard Life PHD' (from previous album V) and 'By The Horns' (the title track of their current album), followed by the muscly, mid-tempo raunch of the ghostly 'Old Joe.'
As that trio of songs, and what followed over the next 80 minutes or so, underlined, Preacher Stone, fronted by the ever-engaging, quick quipped Ronnie Riddle, are a heady and hardy blend of all that is Southern.
Influences of classic Skynyrd, early Molly Hatchett and .38 Special (in their Southern AOR rock radio heyday) can be heard, but Preacher Stone are very much their own band, with their own brand of Southern, as heard on the groove-driven 'Old Fashioned Ass Whoopin Sum Bitch' (now that’s a Southern title).
And you’ve got to love a band that intro a song called 'That's Just the Whiskey Talkin'' with a harmonised A Cappella rework of 'Lean On Me' ("Just call on me brother, if you’ve drank too much – we all need somebody to drive us home").
Nor does it hurt that they come with a healthy does of old fashioned, southern honesty and a genuine comradeship between both themselves and their fans – and they give it 100% with both six-string barrels burning, whether playing a festival, a packed hall or a relatively small but always vociferous crowd.
The latter, sadly, has become a fact of all-original touring acts life, particularly north of the border but more specifically when playing a midweek gig in a cold, damp pre-Spring month.
However, that they make it real, and feel privileged to be able to play no matter where, or to how many, should be applauded as loudly as any of their songs (if Ronnie Riddle could shake the hand of every audience member after the show to say thank you, he would – and to be fair he does his damnedest to do just that).
It’s also interesting to musically note that for a twin guitar band (six string slingers Ben Robinson & Darrell Whitt featured prominently in harmony or call & answer solos on just about every song) the foundation of the Preacher Stone sound comes from drummer (Josh) Wyatt, who doesn’t so much keep the beat as drive every song along with judicious use of toms and percussive cymbal work.
That he also set up the moody, southern blues 'Dance With The Devil' (ably anchored by bassist Jim Bolt) with a short and sharp drum solo gives you an idea of just how much he brings to the band.
The latter, sadly, has become a fact of all-original touring acts life, particularly north of the border but more specifically when playing a midweek gig in a cold, damp pre-Spring month.
However, that they make it real, and feel privileged to be able to play no matter where, or to how many, should be applauded as loudly as any of their songs (if Ronnie Riddle could shake the hand of every audience member after the show to say thank you, he would – and to be fair he does his damnedest to do just that).
It’s also interesting to musically note that for a twin guitar band (six string slingers Ben Robinson & Darrell Whitt featured prominently in harmony or call & answer solos on just about every song) the foundation of the Preacher Stone sound comes from drummer (Josh) Wyatt, who doesn’t so much keep the beat as drive every song along with judicious use of toms and percussive cymbal work.
That he also set up the moody, southern blues 'Dance With The Devil' (ably anchored by bassist Jim Bolt) with a short and sharp drum solo gives you an idea of just how much he brings to the band.
Solo aside, Wyatt’s rhythmic drum work was best exemplified on brooding, mid-tempo number 'The Devil You Know,' which also featured some seriously effective harmony guitar parts (partially scuppered on the night by a sound out front that, inexplicably, had the guitars, other than their gritty rhythm parts, too low in the mix).
The real life lyricism of numbers such as 'The Devil You Know' and downtempo highlight 'Blessing and a Curse' dovetailed with other songs that spoke to the difficulties of relationships, such as the rhythm and southern blues brace of 'Writing On The Wall' and 'Last To Know,' the latter cheekily but fairly seriously introduced by Ronnie Riddle as "another song about love gone to hell…"
Other highlights across the set included the lyrically self-effacing and musically hooky 'Think By Now' and the slow ‘n’ swampy 'Horse to Water,' which segued directly into the raunch and roll of 'Come What May.'
The band ended on their emotive southern rock ballad 'Save My Soul,' which is lifted from their second album, 2010’s Uncle Buck’s Vittles.
That the song, which features a double-time 'Freebird' styled lead & harmony guitars mid-section, remains in the set as the closer of choice, gives you an idea of the weight attached to the ballad, heightened recently by its dedication to fallen brothers, keys player Johnny Webb and co-founder & guitarist Marty Hill (both sadly passed in 2024).
Preacher Stone have been through a lot in the last couple of years, from incredible highs to personal lows and grief.
But this is a band that have dusted themselves down and come back even stronger, with a best to date album in By The Horns, an unflinching camaraderie and an on the road joie de vivre that is tangible.
For that, Brother Ronnie and the Preacher boys get an Amen each and every time.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo credits (all images): Scott Anderson/ Zeezee Digital Imaging
The real life lyricism of numbers such as 'The Devil You Know' and downtempo highlight 'Blessing and a Curse' dovetailed with other songs that spoke to the difficulties of relationships, such as the rhythm and southern blues brace of 'Writing On The Wall' and 'Last To Know,' the latter cheekily but fairly seriously introduced by Ronnie Riddle as "another song about love gone to hell…"
Other highlights across the set included the lyrically self-effacing and musically hooky 'Think By Now' and the slow ‘n’ swampy 'Horse to Water,' which segued directly into the raunch and roll of 'Come What May.'
The band ended on their emotive southern rock ballad 'Save My Soul,' which is lifted from their second album, 2010’s Uncle Buck’s Vittles.
That the song, which features a double-time 'Freebird' styled lead & harmony guitars mid-section, remains in the set as the closer of choice, gives you an idea of the weight attached to the ballad, heightened recently by its dedication to fallen brothers, keys player Johnny Webb and co-founder & guitarist Marty Hill (both sadly passed in 2024).
Preacher Stone have been through a lot in the last couple of years, from incredible highs to personal lows and grief.
But this is a band that have dusted themselves down and come back even stronger, with a best to date album in By The Horns, an unflinching camaraderie and an on the road joie de vivre that is tangible.
For that, Brother Ronnie and the Preacher boys get an Amen each and every time.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo credits (all images): Scott Anderson/ Zeezee Digital Imaging