It is more than five years since the Wallflowers last played in Britain, and frontman Jakob Dylan, son of Bob, seemed acutely aware of the fact. He apologised for their lengthy absence and promised not to leave it so long next time. "Was it not worth the wait?" he asked.
Mostly yes, though the Empire had room for a few more, and a large chunk of the crowd seemed to be American expats. Obviously, a recent guest appearance in Crime Scene Investigation hasn't powered the Wallflowers to household-name status. Their classic-rock sound can still be considered cool in California or Oregon, but since this isn't the kind of band that travels with a stylist and backing tapes, wider British acceptance might remain elusive.
But they do what they do with panache, and don't mind how often their roots show through. They opened with When You're on Top, a song with uncanny similarities to A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall, quite a well-known song by Jakob's dad, though Bob's original lacked the whooshing Hammond organ and pulsing sequencer that the Wallflowers use. How Good It Can Get was a pristine showcase for their surging bass-guitar-organ line-up with a dollop of vocal harmonies on top.
One small snag is that their recent songs aren't as good as the ones on their 1996 breakthrough effort, Bringing Down the Horse, so they have to be careful where they put the latter in case they distort the balance of the set. Three Marlenas appeared early, souped up with a walloping Johnny Thunders-style guitar riff from lead guitarist Yogi. The throbbing groove of One Headlight remains the band's most distinctive theme, and 6th Avenue Heartache has been expertly tailored as a setting for the husky croak of Dylan's voice.
Encore-time brought a few surprises, notably Dylan's acoustic version of Nick Lowe's indestructible What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding and a full-tilt onslaught on Bowie's Heroes. They signed off with The Difference, with its enigmatic contention that "the only difference ... is you're exactly the same as you used to be". Well, I hope not.
