Finishing a brief European tour in Dublin is a cause for some celebration according to Isacc Gibson, chief songwriter and lead vocalist with Virginia based six-piece 49 Winchester. It’s been a run of thirteen shows, visiting eight different countries across seventeen days of hard graft. Nothing new to the band of course as they base their growing reputation around a hard work ethic and a strong sense of unity among the members.
Founded as a three-piece back in 2014, the guitar skills of Isaac Gibson, Chase Chafin and Brandon “Bus” Shelton came together as home town friends looking for a creative outlet for their youthful energy. Their debut album started a momentum that carried through to subsequent releases in 2018 and 2020, with additional players Noah Patrick and Dillon Cridin joining the line-up. Their breakthrough came in 2022 and the release of FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE an appropriate album title for the band who then gained a greater profile from supporting Luke Combs on a European tour. A total of sixteen dates in Sept/Oct 2023 started a buzz about the band outside of their American audiences and tonight they get to build upon their growing international profile.
The current line-up comprises founding members Isaac Gibson (vocals, guitar), Bus Shelton (lead guitar), Chase Chafin (bass) with Noah Patrick (pedal steel) and more recent members Tim Hall (piano, organ, keyboards), and Justin Louthian (drums). Over a set that lasts ninety minutes the band produce a high energy sound that covers nineteen songs, including the encore Hillbilly Happy which is due to feature on a new release later this year, LEAVIN’ THIS HOLLER. In total the band play six songs from the forthcoming album and they all sit seamlessly into the signature sound that has been honed over recent years of playing together. If you want a signpost then think along the lines of early Lynyrd Skynyrd crossed with a lead singer that sounds very much from the Chris Stapleton school of impressive vocalists.
The majority of the set is taken from the FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE release and seven songs are featured including the title track, All I Need, Annabel, Damn Darlin’ and the set closer Last Call. Crowd favourite Russell County Line is also included from the same album and it’s always a good sign for the band to see so many in the audience singing along to the words. The set list also includes five songs from the 2020 release III, with Chemistry and Hays, Kansas opening the show and the trio of It's A Shame, Everlasting Lover and Long Hard Life performed also.
There is no doubting the fire within the band, but tonight they are let down by a very muddy sound that results in a distorted mix on the instruments. The pedal steel really struggled to be heard at all, while the drum and bass were very dominant in the overall sound. As a result, a number of the songs suffered from that cruel fate of sounding the same, guitars fighting for space and the rhythm section driving an unchanging beat pattern. The keyboard sound also lost out during certain songs as the musicians strove to deliver their performance dynamic. Much rests on the shoulders of Isaac Gibson, in that he is the sole vocalist and the only member who attempts regular communication with the less than capacity audience. He is a fine vocalist and his energy was certainly something that resonated with the crowd. Hopefully on a return visit the band can solidify even greater support and deliver upon their obvious promise.
Coda: The evening started with the advertised support act Drayton Farley not appearing. No mention was made of his absence and perhaps he had caught an early flight back to America as this was the last date of the European leg of the tour? In any event, we were given local Irish singer Saibh Skelly as a late replacement and she made quite an impression over her short set that included both original songs and cover versions. She spoke about starting out by busking on Grafton Street and building up a strong social media support. Her fine voice and bubbly character endeared her to the crowd and she admitted that she’s “not really country” but had purchased a pair of cowboy boots especially for the performance.
Review and photos by Paul McGee