The setting was The Coronet in Elephant and castle for the The Rifles to make a full band come back to the city. A huge amount has happened since the last full band tour, with the original bassist and drummer parting company from the band, so this tour was even more poigniant giving the band an opportunity to show the ever-dedicated and loyal fans that The Rifles are very much still ALIVE. The 3000 strong sell-out crowd were in good spirits as The band treated gig goers to an arsenal of classic rifles hits mixed with some new belters to get their teeth into.

The band are working on the third album to be released very soon and showcased some of the new material. Opening with SHE’S GOT STANDARDS put the crowd into a frenzy. Grown men and women moshing not just at the front but spreading right to the back of the venue. The Rifles wear no disguise, what you see is what you get with this band, an honest working class outfit writing good honest working class music. Other hits that stood out in this mamoth set were OUT IN THE PAST with its atmospheric rolling lead guitar licks, GREAT ESCAPE with it’s clever lyrics and sing-a-long-ability and SOMETIMES with it’s pure energy. The band wedge in the acoustic numbers SPEND A LIFETIME and the somewhat more rare ROCK THE BOAT which get huge cheers. If only you could bottle the energy and atmosphere in here tonight most bands on the circut would pay millions for it.

The Rifles have been around a long time – that’s no secret – but have somehow avoided the mainstream limelight. I think if you asked any true fan they’d say this is the way they’d want it to stay, but you still feel that the Rifles should be achieving more success than they are. Backed by Paul Weller (new album recorded at his studios) you would think more strings could be pulled when it comes to being included in the large important line-ups. The Rifles definitely show they are seasoned touring band and have experience in abundance. This comes across tonight as they deliver an energetic and well crafted set. They’ve turned the coronet electric.

LOCAL BOY as ever get’s an immense reaction from the die hard fans. New tracks that are sure to win over any fans that may have doubted the future of the band were I GET LOW, SWEETEST THING and LONG WALK BACK stood out. The Rifles end the set with crowd pleasing ROMEO AND JULIE with it’s breakdown verse of ‘Whoa whoa wahoooo’ ringing out around the venue like a football ground chant. Infact, the chant could be heard throughout the night in anticipation, so a genius move to put this as the finale track!

To sum up the gig then would be to say The Rifles truly smashed the coronet tonight. Any doubters of the new line-up were surely persuaded otherwise by the pure energetic and well crafted performance. The new material is a different direction slightly, but still has the underlying qualities The Rifles stick with. I don’t think the new album will eclipse The Great Escape by any means but that does not mean it’s not worthy in it’s own right. We’ll all have to wait and see when it’s released. One thing is for sure though, they are still very much HERE though and firing on all cylinders.

So all together now, the rifles salute….