Opening up for Blackberry Smoke, Bones Owens made the most of his allotted 45 minute set, fitting in around a dozen songs and leaving a strong impression on the Birmingham crowd. There were clearly more than a few amongst the audience who were already more than a little familiar with his hard hitting blues infused rockers, and by the time he left the stage Bones and his rhythm section had clearly won many new admirers.

Although he comes out of Nashville, there was little here that nodded towards modern day country music. With influences ranging from blues and soul to garage and psychedelic rock, he hasn’t pigeon holed himself into any one genre. The buzz saw guitar licks of ‘Lightning Strike’ set the scene for much of what was to follow, and a little tease of ‘Rock N’ Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution’ revealed his musical roots. The likes of ‘White Lines’ and ‘Tell Me’ definitely hit the spot, with both the bassist and drummer fully playing their part in bringing the songs to life, laying down a rock solid foundation for Bones to build on. Showcasing a number of songs from sophomore album Love Out of Lemons, this was an energetic and gritty performance that  was one of the strongest support sets we have witnessed all year.

Bones Owens is definitely well worth checking out and we look forward to welcoming him back to Birmingham in the not too distant future.