Six Welshmen walk into a concert venue. What follows isn’t a joke, but the most energetic and enjoyable live performance I’ve ever seen.
Monmouthshire based six-piece Rusty Shackle came to Honiton’s ‘The Beehive’ as the final leg of their ‘Dusk’ tour, which shares its name with the title of their latest album.
As they took the stage, drummer Owen Emmanuel quickly filled the venue with a heavy, Celtic influenced bass line. Frontman Liam Collins proceeded to whip out a megaphone, leading the crowd in an anthemic chant of ‘when the morning comes’, a track from their most recent record, and shortly after an intricate violin rhythm was introduced.
Each band member contributed to an ever-growing sound that proved irresistible to even the least willing feet in the room.
In Collins, the band has found an enigmatic frontman who masterfully oversaw the transformation of his audience from cider swilling to floor filling, and ‘The Beehive’ was more than up to hosting the party. 
After the show, Collins said, “We loved the venue, it was a really nice sounding room, a lovely stage and most importantly an awesome crowd who were up for a great night.”
Over the course of their set, Rusty Shackle performed a variety of songs from across their three albums. Stomping beats accompanied catchy choruses, as the band quickly developed a rapport with the Honiton crowd, who were absorbed and involved in an interactive performance.
Crowd member Gemma Hanham said, “I knew a few of their songs already, but even the ones I didn’t know still made me want to sing and dance along. It’s so good having a local venue that can get great bands like this to play!”
Rusty Shackle, along with an energetic audience, put Devon’s sleepy stereotypes to the sword. Thankfully, this may not be their last visit to ‘The Beehive’. Collins revealed, “We’d love to come back!” And, when they do, they’re not to be missed.
Written By Harry Bullmore
