With no interval the audience are treated to 19 songs in a row before the band leave the stage. “Intro” especially gets a big cheer with the audience jumping and clapping along with the band as they get into the backing vocals. Several songs get big cheers throughout the night including “Hey Mama”, “Survivor” and “Coolin’ Out”. But even these more introspective moments are backed by powerful instrumentation that keeps everyone going and enjoying themselves. ![]() The pace of music is kept quite high and only slows slightly when Rateliff takes to a keyboard for a few songs including the jazzy “Love Me Till I’m Gone”. I’ve seen them perform at a festival where the audience didn’t get very engaged and it impacted on the performance, however this audience was more than willing to give their energy to the band, each side feeding off the exuberance of the other. The audience at a Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats show can really make or break things. The energy and enthusiasm on display throughout the band is phenomenal, as is the respect they show each other throughout the evening, taking time to appreciate each other’s musical talent. ![]() Whilst their records are well received, there is nothing quite like seeing those compositions come to life in front of you. A poignant moment for a band that has such a large live following. Rateliff is not the kind of frontman who gives long introductions or stories between songs, he prefers to let the music do his speaking, however he does express his appreciation for the audience as he talks about wondering whether they were ever going to be able to tour again. This mix goes throughout the evening, as we are treated to songs from all their releases. Then taking us back to their debut we hear both “I’ve Been Failing” and “Look It Here”. As the houselights dimmed and the band took to the stage there was a big cheer which turned into a roar as the band got underway with “The Future” the lead track from their most record (of the same name). Inside the venue were lots of smiling faces, eager to have a memorable night. This is a band that once you’ve seen them you do keep on going back. All the conversations I overheard on my way there were about seeing the band again. On the train to the venue, I could hear people excitedly talking about seeing Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats again. An instant classic of 11 songs, the album presents something more sustainable, interesting, and indeed open-a songwriter and band growing into bigger questions and sounds, into a future that allows them to remain recognizable but be so much more compelling than some denim-clad caricature.The buzz heard around The Roundhouse in Camden was electric. The result is The Future, the third Night Sweats album but the first to capture this octet’s true depth and breadth. ![]() When Rateliff returned from his pandemic-truncated solo tour in March 2020, he struggled with the same question that vexed so many of us then-what now? Fortunately, he returned to his Colorado homestead and penned a set of songs that synthesized his introspection with his anthemic inclinations. To wit, is there any other modern act capable of revving up stadium crowds for The Rolling Stones while also appearing on Saturday Night Live and CMT Crossroads and at NPR’s Tiny Desk in short order? They’ve had hits, sure, but their combustible mix of soul and rock quickly cemented them as the rare generational band who balanced ecstatic live shows with engrossing and rich records. Since 2015, Rateliff has led his denim-clad, horn-flanked Night Sweats, supplying the zeal of a whiskey-chugging Pentecostal preacher to songs about this world’s shared woes. It took Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats less than five years to become one of the most recognizable new forces in contemporary rock ’n’ roll.
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