While they may be best known for creating the opening theme for one of the greatest TV shows ever made, HBO’s The Sopranos, Alabama 3 are an iconic outfit in their own right. Known for their unique crossover sound which brings together acid house and trip-hop with country and blues rock, the British collective has continued to endure over the last 30 years. Currently touring their first two albums Exile On Coldharbour Lane and La Peste, along with some other greatest hits, we went along to catch their Rescue Rooms show…
We get into the venue just as Welsh blues rock outfit Forgotten Pharaohs begin their support set. While the project led by frontman Christian Pattemore encounter a few technical difficulties early on, they fight through to really showcase their 2024 debut, King of Mirrors.
Once they get going the band prove themselves to be a formidable live outfit, with Pattemore’s vocals sounding powerful and rustic against the cinematic arrangements of standouts like Life To Burn, Cable Bay and Bryn Yr Hydd. At one point, Pattemore introduces the band which includes their bassist - who has flown in from Grenada, Spain especially for the show - and legendary Cast guitarist, Liam Tyson. Due to his lengthy beard, Tyson gets a shout of “RASPUTIN!” from the audience, much to the crowd and band’s amusement.
Fantastic beard aside, Tyson is particularly mesmerising to watch, switching between playing a green and red glittery twelve string guitar one minute, to then what looks like a battered old Fender with the paint peeling off the next. It’s reflective of Forgotten Pharaohs’ varied sound, who really impress with the barn-storming riffs of Carousel before closing out on unreleased track, the laidback and heartfelt Stolen Star. A fun and lively support set that left us keen to catch the band perform again in the future.
After a short interval it’s then time for tonight’s main event, as Alabama 3 finally take to the Rescue Rooms stage. Last to emerge is frontman Larry Love (real name Rob Spragg), who tonight is sporting a sparkling gold tuxedo-style jacket with a jet-black cowboy hat and stylish shades. Vocalist Zoe Devlin accompanies him at the front of the stage, similarly rocking the cowboy hat and sparkling jacket combo, as the pair launch into the band’s cover of Eagles’ classic, Hotel California. It’s then into a couple of tracks from the band’s 2000 album La Peste, with the pulsating dance rhythms of Cocaine (Killed My Community) followed by the warped electronica of Mansion On the Hill.
Looking over at the merchandise there’s some interesting items on display tonight, including a T-shirt that features a 1/10 NME review for La Peste in which they called the album a “monumental waste of time”. It’s a testament to Alabama 3’s punk spirit that they turned the negative into a cool piece of apparel, with NME proven well wrong as the band continue to perform the album three decades later to a room full of fans. Also on sale is a striking poster featuring James Gandolfini as the iconic Tony Soprano, which eventually signals the band launching into arguably their biggest song – Woke Up This Morning. Playing it four songs into the setlist is a ballsy move but it’s a delight for the revved-up crowd, who immediately start singing along and grooving away to the classic TV theme.
Spragg then tells the casual fans that they can leave now if they wish, as “it’s about to get really weird”. To his surprise perhaps, U Don’t Dans 2 Tekno Anymore gets a big reaction too, with the audience chanting along to the song’s refrain while continuing to get loose. From that point on, the whole evening is a kaleidoscope of genre-bending brilliance, with the band jumping from John Prine cover Speed of the Sound of Loneliness into their gospel-influenced ode to the “Special Brew Crew”, The Old Purple Tin (9% of Pure Heaven).
The band continue to bounce through the hits and a whirlwind of sounds, before eventually ending their main set on the joyous combo of Ain’t Goin’ To Goa and Hypo Full of Love (The 12 Step Plan).
While some of the crowd has dissipated through the evening, those that have stayed roar with applause as the band return for the encore. Spragg begins it by shouting out Skunk Anansie who are playing a sold-out show at Rock City next door, before dedicating All The Thrills Have Gone to Paddy Hill of the Birmingham Six.
After some more hedonistic house, Spragg then calls out Trump’s Trade War before leading the audience in an uplifting singalong during finale, Peace In The Valley.
Proving they are much more than a one-hit wonder, Alabama 3’s fusion of different shades of electronic, gospel and country music was a real joy to behold tonight. Now 30 years into the game, they are still going strong as a live force.
Alabama 3 performed at Rescue Rooms on 3rd April 2025.
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