Writing and photography by Shavorne Wilbraham
Sometimes a gig doesn’t need elaborate production, emotional soul-searching or the next big innovation to make an impression.
Sometimes all it takes is great songs, talented musicians and a room full of people ready for a good night out.
That’s exactly what Liverpool’s O2 Academy delivered as Nashville’s own Hayseed Dixie rolled into town, accompanied by the gloriously glam Sweet Electric, for an evening packed with energy, humour and plenty of crowd-pleasing moments.
The whole point of this tour is Hayseed Dixie hitting the road to celebrate 25 years of what they call Maximum Rockgrass, bringing their blend of bluegrass, rock and outright silliness back to venues across the UK.
After a short interval, four ankle-booted, bare-legged gentlemen wandered onto the stage to a huge cheer from a collection of black Hayseed Dixie T-shirts.
I had spent some time chatting to fans beforehand, many of whom had been following the band since the late ’90s. For some, this wasn’t their first time on the Hayseed Rodeo.
John Wheeler welcomed everyone before launching straight into Dirty Deeds, the opening song of a 23-track set that barely let up for the rest of the evening.
Hayseed Dixie have spent 25 years taking well-known rock songs apart and rebuilding them with banjos, mandolins, fiddles and whatever else happens to be lying around.
On paper it shouldn’t work, but in reality, it works brilliantly. As ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ echoed around the O2 Academy, Hippy Joe spent much of the song sticking his tongue out like a bearded dragon spotting its next meal, sending the crowd into spontaneous fits of laughter.
It’s that balance of excellent musicianship and complete silliness that makes the band so entertaining and to truly appreciate that, you must see them live.
Wheeler’s warm Southern drawl was a pleasure to listen to as he chatted away between songs.
There was plenty of back-and-forth with the crowd, jokes flying around the room, all landing exactly as intended.
Humour is a huge part of what Hayseed Dixie do, but it would wear thin very quickly if the musicianship wasn’t there to back it up. The standard of playing was ridiculous.
Banjo runs came and went at a speed that barely seemed possible, mandolin solos appeared from nowhere, and familiar songs were twisted into something completely different without losing any of their impact.
The set rolled through bluegrass reworkings of classics including AC/DC’s ‘Hells Bells’ and Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking the Law’, both of which were far better than they had any right to be.
I keep saying it really shouldn’t work, but it does. Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ and ‘War Pigs’ were equally impressive, with the band somehow weaving those iconic riffs into the arrangements while still making them sound unmistakably Hayseed Dixie.
It wasn’t all rock covers either. A handful of straight-up country songs gave the set a bit of breathing space, with more than a nod towards one of Wheeler’s songwriting heroes, Merle Haggard.
The theme of alcohol ran strong through the set. Drinking Again, The Whiskey Ain’t Working Anymore and Corn Liquor were allowed to breathe, accompanied by enough on-stage alcohol to make a liver wince.
Mandolin-shredding maestro Hippy Joe seemed particularly attached to his bottle. In fact, he struggled to put it down long enough to play, eventually deciding to use it as a slide instead.
Whether it improved the sound is up for debate, but it certainly proved that necessity is the mother of invention, especially after a few drinks. When the alcohol ran dry, things got serious with John and Richard when the unmistakable Duelling Banjos inevitably appeared, turning the evening into a musical arm wrestle.
Banjo and guitar were fired back and forth across the stage at ridiculous speed, accompanied by foot stomps and whistles by the audience.
They lapped it up, cheering every impossible run of notes. I have to say, the Hayseed Dixie highlights of the night for me were Comfortably Numb and Don’t Fear The Reaper.
Hearing Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb given the bluegrass treatment was sheer joy. Performed with such precision and passion, there were moments when you almost forgot this prog-rock anthem had been tampered with at all.
The second highlight came with the instantly recognisable opening notes of Don’t Fear The Reaper.
The familiar, ghostly introduction was met with cheers before Hayseed Dixie promptly dragged the Blue Oyster Cult classic through the Kentucky hills at breakneck speed, somehow retaining all its atmosphere while adding a healthy dose of moonshine-fuelled chaos.
“Give me more cowbell,” shouted John. And just like that, there was more cowbell than you could shake a stick at when Sweet Electric’s golden boy, Brad, appeared alongside drummer Bennie to give the song exactly what it needed – the audience loved it.
The night came to a close as expected with a bluegrass-tinged version of ACDC’S ‘Highway to Hell’. The whole evening felt good from start to finish.
You really didn’t want it to end. Neither did the Dixies, so instead of simply parting ways, John invited everyone to continue the evening at the nearest pub. And so we did.
Whoever came up with the idea of putting Hayseed Dixie and Sweet Electric on the same bill deserves a medal. It made for a special evening and one that won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
Whether you’re a fan of bluegrass or glam, it really doesn’t matter. By the time the lights came up, the chances are you’d been won over by both.
The infectious personalities, top-class musicianship, humour and obvious love that went into this show created something genuinely special. As for me, I’d happily do it all again tomorrow.
Roll on September 2027. I will be first in the queue.
