This show was at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. For those of you who don’t know the history. Kenneth "K. K." Downing, Jr. is one of the founding members of the band Judas Priest. He played guitar for the band for 40 years only stepping away in 2011. You can read more about Kenneth "K. K." Downing, Jr. at kkdowning.net.
The venue itself was a bit like Asylum in Birmingham. Had a bit of a warehouse feel, however the right kind of place if you want to be able to host a wide range of shows. It can host from 550 to 2000+ people. The venue amenities were fairly bare bones: a few simple bars, a corner to set up a merch booth, etc. . . Overall, not bad. 
The first opener was a semi-acoustic live looping duo, Electric Pollen. They mainly do covers of songs from the 50s onwards. Starting out their set with “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane. They showed a lot of love to The Doors including the songs “Roadhouse Blues,” “My Eyes Have Seen You,” and “People are Strange.” Overall a good set, “White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane was a solid song to go with some classics.
Next in the lineup was Sarah Crean. An artist out of Dublin. Combining relatable lyrics and mellow melodies. Her music has been described as indie pop, but it really gave me “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” vibes. Those relatable, sometimes depressing feelings that everyone can relate to but don’t want to talk about. Wrapping up her set, “What Do I Know?” is a satirical take on a toxic relationship breaking down. 
Finally, headlining the show was Saint Motel. The best way I can describe their music is upbeat and uplifting. Not necessarily always happy, but almost always something that can get you up and moving. The band has had some success in films, being used as the opening credits song for “Mr Right” released in 2015 and was also used in the film “Paper Towns”(Also 2015).
The theme for this tour was “The Awards Show.” They set up each set list with four songs that the audience would vote on before the show. They had two musicians traveling with them on this tour, Shai on saxophone and Zach on trumpet.
Starting out their set was “Van Horn” which is an upbeat(I mean, most of their songs are fairly upbeat) song about their time in Van Horn, Texas. Next up was the first voted on song. The audience was invited to vote between “Butch,” “Midnight Movies,” and “Feed Me Now.” In the end, “Butch” won and that was what came up. In announcing the songs you can really see the band’s love of performing, and they made it an absolute blast having someone else call out the songs each time they opened an envelope. “Puzzle Pieces,” a song about a beautiful woman who has had too much plastic surgery was up next. Talking about how all the pieces are beautiful but how they just don’t quite fit together. The second vote was between “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead,” “Daydream/Wetdream/Nightmare,” and “1997.” The winner was “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead.” A.J.(the lead singer) mentioned while introducing this song that it was the first time they’ve performed it live for an audience. Next up was “Move” and “Sweet Talk.” Both of those songs are off of the Saintmotelevision album and pun absolutely intended, make you want to get up and move.
Vote number three was up next, and the nominees were “Destroyer,” “Eat Your Heart Out,” and “For Elise.” And the winner was. . . “For Elise.” A lovely play on “Für Elise” by Beethoven, it’s about the muses of contemporary pop-rock culture, such as Pattie Boyd, Carole King, and many others. Next up was “It’s All Happening” off of “the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” released in 2021(I feel like I should add here, that it’s not an actual film soundtrack). A fun song about conquering your goals. After "It's All Happening” came “Everyone’s A Guru Now.” A satire about people reinventing themselves as self help experts and selling quick fixes that really don't fix anything.
The fourth and final vote was up next. Between “Benny Goodman,” “Getaway,” and “Sisters.” When Duane “The Rock” Johnson was called up to present the award, he unfortunately was unavailable. Luckily an audience member was willing and able to fill in and announced that “Sisters” won the fourth and final award of the night. A song about those fun interactions you get growing up with siblings or more specifically, sisters. While I didn’t grow up with any sisters, I do have two older brothers, and can absolutely relate.
Entering into the last few of their set, “A Good Song Never Dies” celebrating the moments that music gives us and reminds us of. “Fine Wine,” about finding beauty in impermanence. “Cold Cold Man” about inability to be outwardly affectionate, but having ways of showing it without actually showing it.
Second to last in the lineup is “ Ace In The Hole” off of the “My Type” EP. A song the band got the idea for while playing a show near Las Vegas. Referencing slot machines and dice, it’s clear where the inspiration came from. Talking about “time for your ace in the hole,” using an advantage you’re hiding till you need it.
Last up, but certainly not least "My Type.” Certainly their most well known song, having been used in several films as mentioned above. A.J. definitely showed his love of performing, having gone over the barrier, dancing and singing while in the crowd. Overall the theme they used for the tour was an absolute blast. I’m wholeheartedly looking forward to catching one of their shows on the next tour “The Symphony in the Sky” which one song has been released as a single already. “Steady Hand” feels different from previous songs they’ve written and honestly has a nostalgic, warm feel behind it that is hard to explain, but definitely shows the band evolving in my opinion, for the better. I’m wholeheartedly excited to see what this band puts out next.