Wild Rivers at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

It’s an especially cold day in Shepherd’s Bush as Canadian indie-folk band Wild Rivers take to the O2 Empire stage to headline their largest gig outside of North America. Despite the milestone and scale, the sold-out performance is instantly cosy, full of fan favourites spanning nearly a decade…the soothing musical equivalent of warming your feet up by the fire.

Released just earlier this year, the set opens with modern anthem Never Better, followed by break-up song Amsterdam, setting a relaxed but dynamic mood. The three-piece band are accompanied by a bassist, drummer and backing vocals from a fully engaged audience singing and swaying from the get-go. With impressively balanced lead spotlights for both Devan Glover and Khalid Yassein, there are plenty of moments to appreciate their solo vocal prowess and soaring range, but also pitch-perfect intricate harmonies such as in standout tracks like Wandering Child. 

The artists dance between upbeat, rockier renditions with quieter, tranquil numbers. The popular, country-esque Speak Too Soon is endlessly energetic, complete with an electric 12 Days of Christmas outro, yet somehow transitions seamlessly to Backfire, a softly vulnerable track about loneliness. There’s even a “second phase”, a stripped-back acoustic section including harmony-perfect Neon Stars, a delicate song that – we’re hilariously told – will soon feature in a hallmark movie called Chicken Sisters. Much like a good Hallmark date, the conversation flows, isn’t one-sided (track Long Time is from a public vote, after all) and is rarely awkward, sharing stories about their desert writing retreats, favourite Christmas music and how the venue itself holds special, sentimental value for vocalist Glover growing up. 

And those in the room appear captivated throughout the entirety of the set. When self-proclaimed uptempo “phase three” rolls around, it’s time for favourites such as Stubborn Heart and (“choose your own adventure”) What Kind of Song before an encore of gorgeously layered Heart Attack and Thinking About Love, a finale that has the audience loudly singing along from the very first word. 

“We feel very present tonight,” the trio conclude. “Present” feels like a very apt word; the evening is a snow globe, a moment capturing the magic of live music – from gorgeous vocal blends to effortless guitar riffs under a dome of sensitive songwriting and poppy hooks. It’s not the only description to sum up the night: there’s a new song suitably called Freezing, plus the band will surely come away from their performance feeling just like their opening song – Never Better.

Bev Lung
Photos: Guifre de Peray

For further information and future events visit Wild Rivers’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Never Better here: