A beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon gave way to a soggy and stormy Saturday night in the Delaware Valley, which was in a way perfect for those of us bound to Atlantic City and a headlining show from Ruby The Hatchet.
The Jersey-bred heavy rock band was on a short warmup run for tour in support of their terrific new album, Fear Is A Cruel Master, which channels Sabbath and Stevie Nicks in one fell swoop. They wrapped up with a show in their home state, bringing a couple hundred fans out to Anchor Rock Club for searing performances of “Thruster” and “Deceiver,” a soaring take on their poppy new single “The Change,” and a ripping cover of Quarterflash’s “Harden My Heart”driven not only by Jillian Taylor’s commanding vocals but multi-instrumentalist Sean Hur taking a break from keys to rule on sax. We also heard drummer Owen Stewart share vocal duties with Taylor on the burning “Last Saga.”
Ruby The Hatchet | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
The show featured performances from a couple of Ruby’s pals: The Outsect, a lively Philly five-piece that mixes retro pop, surf rock, and spooky punk. Opening the night were Reckless Randy, a fun and mildly unhinged grungey garage rock band from Jersey.
Check out photos from the concert in the gallery below. Ruby The Hatchet’s tour resumes on May 3rd at Mohawk in Buffalo, New York with Elder and Howling Giant; full dates can be found here.
Ruby The Hatchet | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Ruby The Hatchet | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Ruby The Hatchet | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
The Outsect | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
The Outsect | photo by John Vettese for WXPN
Reckless Randy | photo by John Vettese for WXPN