ShareHighly Suspect performing on The Carnival Of Madness tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Friday 29th January 2016
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
A twenty minute set was not a fair representation of who Highly Suspect are as they were only able to give the audience at The Motorpoint Arena a snippet of what they are capable off.
Propping up the bill for Shinedown, Halestrom and Black Stone Cherry, this trio hailing from Brooklyn took to the stage and wasted no time before propelling themselves into a high energy set. Opening with Bath Salts from their debut album Mister Asylum, singer and guitarist Johnny Stevens approached the edge of the stage, and slowly began to play his guitar, building up the suspense until he launched into the number with his raspy soulful voice.
Other band members, twin brothers Ryan, on drums and Rich Meyer on bass, were not left on the side-lines. For next number Lost, Ryan was in complete control and his style was simply mesmerising to watch.
There was no let up from Stevens as he raced around the stage; his confidence was palpable. Whilst their lyrics are for adult hearing only, they are self-composed and have been written about their own experiences, and this audience loved them all. With their aggressive sound and bluesy edge, Fuck Me Up, got the crowd really going with plenty of arm waving and bopping.
Bloodfeather is an excellent love song whilst Claudeland was very upbeat, but it was Grammy nominated Lydia that stole the set, with its pulsating guitar, melodic lyrics and the exceptional vocals from Stevens.
Highly Suspect have been around for a few years now, but it has only been within the last year or so that they have really started making a mark in the music world. But make no mistake, they made lots of new fans last night, and on this performance it is likely that if they grace our shores again, they will have the bill all to themselves.