Rook Road @ Le Trianon, Paris - February 27th, 2026

When reviewing a concert, I make a conscious, sometimes stubborn effort to concentrate on what works. Writing a negative review is rarely pleasant*, particularly when the musicians on stage are clearly committed and visibly enjoying themselves.

Rook Road are a hard rock quintet from Germany with solid chops and a clear affection for the genre. The songs are serviceable, the playing competent and the energy sincere. Yet everything feels derivative to the point of anonymity: the riffs, the structures, the vocal lines... Everything fits neatly into this all well worn template, without ever straining against it. Four decades ago, when that style of music was en vogue, they might have disappeared into the crowded middle tier of a festival lineup, indistinguishable from dozens of similar acts.

To their credit, they do not phone it in. They play with conviction, move with purpose and interact with the audience as if every show matters. Their technical proficiency is not in question, and neither is their passion. But professionalism and enthusiasm, while necessary, will only get you so far: songs need character and bands need a personality. Rook Road need to find theirs if they want to rise above the ocean of mediocrity they're currently treading water in.

*except for this one.

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