Greta Van Fleet
Royal Albert Hall, London
14th July 2024
Michigan brothers stun London’s Royal Albert Hall with their pomp, bluster, and sparkles, putting on a delightfully dramatic 3-hour-long display replete with drum solo, pyro, and plenty of theatrical flair.
A soaring atmospheric 15-minute orchestral introduction plays through the sound system of the iconic Royal Albert Hall, setting the tone for the spectacle to follow. Fans decked out in colourful sequins pepper the auditorium, and a hushed reverence descends until Michigan’s Greta Van Fleet take to the stage to huge whoops and cheers.
The band cut a stark silhouette—big hair, tailored jumpsuits, plush velvet, and all of the rhinestones—looking every bit the stadium rockstars. But their set was far from style over substance, with back-to-back hits, including Talk on the Street (for the first time in six years), firm favourites Black Smoke Rising and Safari Song, and the crowd stirring, and arguably one of their better-known offerings, Highway Tune.
An early-doors quip from front-man Joshua Kiszka of “What an event we have tonight, and I’m not talking about the football” made light of the fact the band were up against England in the Euros football final and drew laughs from the crowd, and nods to The Beatles were made with teaser snippets played of Harrison’s Within You Without You and Lennon–McCartney’s Norwegian Wood.
A 20-minute rendition of the aforementioned Highway Tune from 2016’s Black Smoke Rising EP (originally garnering the much-bandied-about comparisons to Led Zeppelin) is looser live and has a meandering quality that showcases each member’s skills, all demonstrating an impressively regimented command of their respective instruments.
There’s plenty of lithe guitar posturing and lunging from guitarist Jake Kiszka on Runway Blues, followed by a Highway Tune reprise that kicks off a blisteringly epic 10-minute drum solo from the only unrelated member of the band, drummer Daniel Wagner. A half-hour interlude, although not a usual feature of a rock n’ roll show, adds to the theatrics, particularly when a barefoot Sam Kiszka (bass and keys) kicked off second-half proceedings by playing the resident Henry Willis Grand Organ, flavouring the set with a church-like reverence.
Waited All Your Life and Anthem are performed acoustically next after a brief rearranging of the stage to suit a more intimate vibe, followed by the raucous Safari Song. Beer was spilt, feet stomped, and Kiszka’s vocals (with notes often held for an impressive amount of beats) soared like a younger Geddy Lee of Rush fame. At different times throughout the night’s set, the enigmatic band leader strode down confidently to the front row, kissing and hugging each patron, posing for selfies, and even taking one fan’s phone onstage with him and twirling around. A particularly poignant moment came when bunches of white flowers were distributed to the adoring front row.
Technically spot-on, huge sounds seem improbable from only a four-piece, but all four core members and, notably, no backing members, are perfectly attuned to each other, allowing each other the spotlight, and pulling back when appropriate. There’s a comfort and ease that comes across when watching Greta Van Fleet, practically permeating from the stage, and washing over the audience, that perfectly translates as them all being seasoned hands. But they are a band that somehow sounds much bigger than the sum of its parts.
“It’s been a night to remember; I feel like we’re just getting started,” Kiska says and, mentioning the curfew, adds “We’d probably be here until the sun comes up”. And I don’t doubt they would.
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Greta Van Fleet can be found on website | Facebook | Instagram | X
Words by Lynsey Wright. You can read her Louder Than War reviews at her author profile or find her on Instagram.
Photos by Kevin O’Sullivan. You can find him on Instagram.
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