Kiefer Sutherland - Albert Hall, Manchester 28.06.2018

Tonight is crazy hot, England are playing and the atmosphere in Manchester is welcoming and humming with anticipation. And to add to it all Kiefer Sutherland is here with his band to hit us with his Blues infused Rock.

So it comes with a bit of a surprise that the room doesn't appear to be filling quite like you'd expect. I mean how often do you get to see a fully fledged Hollywood legend playing in the city of Manchester?

But don't think for one second that the atmosphere in the room isn't buzzing. You could in fact cut the tension with a knife, but before Mr Sutherland takes to the stage we are greeted by Rick Brantley. A solo act, guitar in tow that proceeds to warm up tonights crowd with his beautifully crafted Country Acoustic. Hailing from Macon, Georgia his soulful voice is complimented by his welcoming demeanour. He introduces each song, offering a little back story. In any other situation the break in the flow of music would be incredibly annoying but tonight it only adds to the strength of his performance and his overall character. It would be impossible not to be taken in by his music. Never really a fan of Country Rock/Blues, Rick tonight may of just swayed my opinion.

The room reaches fever pitch as Kiefer Sutherland takes the stage. He wastes no times with introductions and goes straight into it. Straight away I am taken back by just how great his voice sounds.

You see it is confession time, before tonight I had never listed to any of Kiefer's music. In fact my want and desire to be photographing tonight was because I was a huge fan of 24 and Designated Survivor.

Often with actors who decide to start a band, there is this under lying feeling that around them there is a lot of yes men pushing them on and to paraphrase the words of the great Dr Ian Malcom "They were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." But that said, there are success stories, most notably for me is Jared Leto of 30 Seconds To Mars.. Oh and Kiefer Sutherland!

If you were unaware of his acting background you'd be forgiven for thinking this had been his path all along. He commands the stage like a veteran, everything from his voice to the way he strums the guitar. It screams pure attitude. His blend of Country, Blues and Rock works exactly as well as you'd expect and despite not knowing any of his songs I am captivated. He even shows that to this day in spite of his fame he is still incredibly humble as he takes the time to thank the crowd for even bothering to be here, especially as their is an important "Soccer" match on.

As I have never been much of a fan of Country and Blues it is hard to really explain my overall take away from this evening beyond the fact I had an incredible time. I don't really know how often albums can be expected and how often he will be playing live shows but all I know is Kiefer Sutherland belongs on the stage.

Kiefer Sutherland - https://www.facebook.com/KieferSutherland/

Rick Brantley - https://www.facebook.com/rickbrantleymusic/

Photos & Review - Friswell Photography