Preacher Stone + Revenant - Wednesday 28th January 2026 The Old Brewery Store, Faversham

It’s busy tonight, despite being mid-week, the allure of two bands who made their mark at the (relatively local) Maid of Stone Festival proving strong. UK based Revenant are up first, frontman Sam Lay firmly suggesting that anyone at the bar needs to move forward. He’s got a point, because Revenant sound even better than I remember. 

The influence of Southern rock seeps through the gorgeous twin guitar interludes and harmony vocals that make ‘Best Medicine’ so infectious, but there’s more to Revenant than that. The new songs suggest that the band are moving in heavier directions, ‘Waste My Time’ and ‘Something You’re Not’ favouring big riffs and rumbling bass lines which prove a hit with the crowd, even if we initially struggle to shout ‘hey!’ in the right places! ‘Black Dogs and Sad Men’ is a mini-epic, complete with an unforgettable percussive interlude that allows drummer Carl Donoghue to give his kit what for and guitarist Matt Hudson to really shred. 

Throwing in a turbo-charged cover of Zeppelin’s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ is a masterstroke; close enough to the original to keep us happy, but different enough to feel revived. The only trouble is, we’re not quite sure when it’s finished and wait for an ending that’s already happened, much to the amusement of the band who conclude we probably didn’t like it!    

‘The Healer’ reveals a more vulnerable side, a gentle ballad about checking in on your mates that sees phone torches light up the venue. The similarly personal, ‘I’ll Be There’ brings the set to a triumphant close, with a huge, unifying chorus that demands to be sung along with.  

Americans are generally more natural showmen than us Brits, and so it proves for Preacher Stone. And though it’s unusual for a drummer to command the most attention, the effortlessly cool Wyatt subverts expectations, crashing in at the start of the set and marking ‘Hard Life PhD’ with his distinctive, cymbal-heavy technique. But there’s charisma all over the stage, frontman Ronnie Riddle winning us over quickly with his Southern warmth and North Carolina accent that doesn’t disappear when he sings. 

The band flew in yesterday, but there’s no signs of jet lag as they tear into the wonderfully titled ‘Old Fashioned Ass Whoopin’ Sum Bitch’. Though it’s easy to stamp Preacher Stone with the Southern Rock label (and of course, there is an element of that), to my ears, they’re better described as good ol’ heavy rock, played loud and with a focus on catchy choruses that quickly embed themselves in your brain. 

‘Not Today’ makes an early appearance, a song that opened doors for the band when it featured in Sons of Anarchy, and is still probably their best known. It translates particularly well live, all of us shouting the title back at the band at the appropriate moment. ‘Dance With the Devil’ highlights bassist Jim Bolt’s harmony vocals, and the wonderful grooving rhythm that makes Preacher Stone such an easy band to move to. 

There’s a bit of a problem with feedback around the halfway mark, causing Riddle to jest that they have “flasks, CDs, vinyl and feedback” for sale at the end of the show! But thankfully it’s not enough to derail the band, who soldier on with the deliciously funky ‘Saddled and Rode’. It’s one of several songs from latest album ‘By the Horns’ to make the set, and all of them feel worthy. The joyful ‘Think By Now’ is a perfect party anthem, ‘Come What May’ almost brutally heavy with its aggressive riff. 

‘Horse to Water’ sees the band at its most bluesy, Darrell Whitt’s swampy slide guitar lending a feeling of foreboding. Along with guitarist Ben Robinson, the pair make a formidable duo, the latter marking songs like ‘Writing on the Wall’ with fiery, expressive solos. 

‘That’s Just the Whiskey Talking’ brings the night to a close, or at least, it’s supposed to, but the demand for the band to come back and play one more song is so strong that they can’t really refuse. ‘Lucky’ might not be a word you’d choose to describe Preacher Stone given the tragedies they’ve had to endure in their life as a band, but it’s the name of the song they choose to sign off with. Around me, people are dancing, singing and clapping. Preacher Stone say it’s “damn good to be here”, but I say it’s damn good to have them here. Join the congregation as the band continue their UK tour. 

REVENANT

Sam Lay - guitar/vocals

Matt Hudson - guitar/vocals

Robin Nutley - bass 

Carl Donoghue - drums 

PREACHER STONE

Ronnie Riddle - vocals 

Jim Bolt - bass 

Wyatt - drums

Ben Robinson - guitar 

Darrell Whitt - guitar