Gig Review: The Long Ryders - Town Hall, Kidderminster. Wednesday 14th October 2026

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The window of frenzied activity was narrow but the scope of legacy is vast. There are no doubt many in attendance on this tour who were present first hand when The Long Ryders were ripping up mid 80s indie LA and spreading the gospel across the pond. Apart from the odd comeback effort, jumping on this pioneering bandwagon has been anecdotal, piecing together the origin of alt-country/Americana from the cosmic twang of the late 60s to the plethora of bands operating today around the world. Musicianship is timeless and what you witness 40+ years on from this fusion of country and garage punk is as cutting and fresh as anything on the contemporary scene. For one night on the current tour, Kidderminster was adopted as part of the California Republic and the paying punters were dealt a gem.


The Long Ryders are now three-quarters of their heyday line up and similarly the Town Hall floor space was three-quarters full. The band’s missing quarter has been more than adequately filled, the venue’s missing quarter sadly will have to wait for another day. After the sad passing of bass player Tom Stevens in 2021 the overriding message was to plough on in his name. Borrowing the esteemed Old 97’s Murray Hammond for studio and tour work was a masterstroke. He gelled, both vocally and playing wise, with the existing trio to seamlessly deliver a vibrant body of work.


Murray Hammond

Of course, The Long Ryders are synonymous with front man Sid Griffin who has maintained a high profile in the band’s lengthy hiatus years, especially in his adopted UK, via the Coal Porters, solo work and teaming up for duo gigs, Peter Case for example. Maestro mandolin playing and an encyclopaedic knowledge of American music has helped make him a star turn on the live circuit. Recollections of the Paisley Underground scene and associations with acts like The Bangles form many stories. These are put on one side when in Long Ryders mode, just a concentration of being a top shaped rock ’n’ roll band. To Griffin’s right on stage, and anointed ‘Americana’s Johnny Marr’, was lead guitarist Stephen McCarthy. A player of extraordinary marvel and shared vocalist with Griffin. Keeping it all immaculately together was the colourful Greg Sowders on drums.


The setlist was a melange of the old and the new. The latter heralded by the album HIGH NOON HYMNS which was released in March this year. Tracks shared on the evening included the latest single ‘(How How How) How Do You Wanna Be Loved)’, ‘Four Winters Away’ and a well-worked cover of ‘Forever Young’, which featured as the first encore song and saw Griffin for the first time during the show switch from electric guitar to mandolin.


Stephen McCarthy

Away from the new material the classics flowed. There was a special mention for the iconic Gene Clark who sang on the original of ‘Ivory Tower’ with a snippet of gossip about the legend’s unusual demands. An electrifying atmosphere filled the hall for the trademark finale of ‘Looking For Lewis and Clark’ with a McCarthy blistering solo closing things out. Other setlist inclusions worthy of mention were ‘Greenville’ and ‘The Lights of Downtown’, both featuring McCarthy on lead vocals and ‘Bear in the Woods’ where Hammond took on the challenge to sing alone. ‘Mason Dixon Line’ had a short intro about its age with Griffin admitting he himself had just come through a bad bout of the lurgy.


Kidderminster Town Hall is your archetypal Victorian civic building opened in 1855 and currently the recipient of a major refurbishment bringing a sense of modernity to a grandeur setting. Its high roof can be a challenge for rock music but excellent sound management and a band who know how to adapt to a setting created an even keel. It was loud but within the realms of listenable. The bookers are keen to promote comprehensive night's of live music and local Worcestershire blues rock musician Chloe Mogg was invited to open. She brought her four-piece band and they played an invigorating half-hour set with a style of guitar threaded music operating down a different channel to The Long Ryders.


Chloe Mogg

Their past is storied, the influence long documented. An overriding thought of seeing The Long Ryders play live for the second time (they were caught at SummerTyne Festival in 2019) was that any aspiring Americana band needs to get their bodies in a venue watching up close. Yes, the slim catalogue of great music is fine, but nothing can replicate watching the interaction and mastery in person. Sid Griffin did allude to his 71 years of age a couple of times and the challenges it brings. Yet The Long Ryders are still on fire recording and touring. Evening’s like Kidderminster Town Hall cement the legacy a little tighter. 



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