Simon RushworthThe word on the street
Don’t be Strangers.
The Rushonrock-approved blues rock trio is back!
Blue Nation blew us away with I Feel Low 12 months ago.
And Strangers is familiarly fantastic.
Forget this weekend’s Coronation. Choose Blue Nation.
A quick reminder
We can hear Cream, early Whitesnake and The Temperance Movement in Birmingham’s Blues Nation.
So much so that in April 2022 we hailed Neil Murdoch, Luke Weston and Oli Jefferson as the future of British rock.
And we’re standing by that entirely reasonable claim.
Nothing we’ve heard since — including the stirring Strangers — suggests Blue Nation has lost its creative spark.
In fact the band’s brand new single is bloody electric!
The story behind Strangers
“We actually wrote this during pre-production!
“We took several songs into Trev (Trevor Gibson, producer of the last EP Echoes) and we landed on three and needed a fourth.
“Each night after pre-production in the studio I would go home and write until about 2am and mess about with ideas.
“I would then bring them back to the lads the next day and we would try them out and we created Strangers.
“The lyrics came from a conversation we actually had back then.
“I can’t tell you who but it was about a short-lived relationship that lasted about a week and the girl told one of the band members that ‘she would wait in his house forever’.
“Well that just got me thinking about all the times my friends and myself have been in that situation when you’re with the wrong person and both of you know it.
“But it always seems to drag on.”
Neil Murdoch
The verdict on Strangers
More startling, strident stuff from the boys at Blue Nation, the brilliant Strangers soundtracks a band in the ascendancy.
Hendrix-esque flourishes and an instinctive Clapton-like connection to the fretboard guarantees another guitar masterclass.
And a reassuringly affective vocal oozes rich authenticity.
Blue Nation bridge the gap between vintage blues and Rival Sons’ refreshing early work.
Listening to Strangers is like welcoming back a dear old friend.
In fact Blue Nation’s return is a cause for celebration and a reason for optimism.
What’s next for Blue Nation?
Catch the band at KKs Steel Mill tonight ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Bury St Edmunds’ Apex.
A coveted slot at the star-studded Stockton Rhythm And Blues Festival follows on May 13.
And Blue Nation are on the road throughout the summer stopping off at Dorset’s Love Rocks on June 3.
