GIG REVIEW: Greta Van Fleet – Alexandra Palace, London 25th June 2022
Greta Van Fleet, Alexandra Palace, 25th June 2022 - Picture Source: Donald Erskine
Greta Van Fleet, a Rock N Roll band from small-town America brought their brand of 70s-Esque classic rock to Alexandra Palace in London at the weekend – transporting the crowd and venue back to the glory days of Rock, and perhaps shining light on a new dawn for it.
This London stop on their ‘Dreams in Gold’ tour saw them deliver an anthemic, foot-stomp declaration of a show which saw Greta Van Fleet imprint their sound into the walls and shake the foundations of the historic venue. ‘Ally Pally’ - as it is affectionately known - sits high above Central London on Muswell Hill (circa 313-feet) and the picturesque palace fitted the band’s sound and show perfectly.
Greta Van Fleet consists of three brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam (Bass & Keyboard) Kiszka - with Danny Wagner completing the four-piece on the drums. They hail from Frankenmuth, Michigan and get their moniker from a local resident (with her blessing, of course!).
Frontman Josh’s trademark high octave, high volume wailing vocals started from off stage before he launched into a spoken-word piece preaching love and vigour in life which heralded the quartet on stage. Big hair and outfits full of flair – Greta Van Fleet command a stage presence from the moment they step foot on stage.
Opening with ‘Built By Nations’ from their 2021 album ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate’, the song is them at their effervescent best: raucous guitar riffs, banshee vocals and the thumping rhythm and bass. The crowd were thrown into a frenzy by this stunning opener, which was combined with a simple yet effective light show which perfectly illuminated the palace whilst complimenting the remaining light coming through the famous Rose Window.
The famous Rose Window in Alexandra Palace Picture Source: Donald Erskine
Greta Van Fleet then barrelled through some older tracks in ‘Black Smoke Rising’ and ‘Safari Song’, the latter finishing with an impressive drum solo from Wagner and the opportunity for him to show off his prowess. The drummer clearly takes inspiration from greats such as Keith Moon and John Bonham as he thrashed his drumkit. The drum solo is a long-lost art which is seldom seen these days, Wagner’s effort proved that there is still a place for a bit of showing off by percussionists.
Nearing the middle of the set, the band really hit their stride – quite literally – all three Kiszka brothers were now confidently strutting along the stage laying down licks effortlessly. The double-header of ‘Light My Love’ and ‘Broken Bells’ saw the band take the audience into the palm of their hands – effortless anthemic singalongs and a Page-Esque guitar solo that left the crowd stunned – this section of the show proved their worthiness to share this fabled stage.
The concluding of the show saw sister records ‘Age of Man’ and ‘Age of Machine’ – two prog-blues-rock numbers – played in all their glory as well as ‘Highway Tune’, their biggest hit, finishing off the GVF experience. As the band jammed with an extended outro which showcased all their individual talent the crowd cheered in awe.
Often compared to early Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant has even made note of this! - Greta Van Fleet have tried hard to shake these accusations, but I feel that they should take them as more of a compliment: because they just might be that good. Drawing a crowd in a place where Zeppelin, Queen, The Who and many other greats as ‘pretenders’ would not have gone down as well as they did. With serious talent, style and showmanship the Kiszka brothers and Danny Wagner set alight the Alexandra Palace. If they keep evolving as they have since their first album in 2017, they may just take the torch for Rock n Roll into the future. Led Zeppelin, they are not. But will they be remembered as our generation’s best rockers? Only the future can tell.
See the full setlist for the gig, here.
★★★★☆ – As close to 70s classic Rock n Roll as you can get without a time machine. A must-see for any Rock fans.
(Video on my Youtube Channel of the opening of their set: https://youtu.be/foDsWyfrF9c )