★★★★

DRIVE-BY Truckers have always prided themselves on growing up as Clash fans when everyone else in Alabama was into good ol’ boys Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their powerful show at the Concorde 2 proved that the US country rockers have done that rare thing – fused the political conscience of the former with the rowdy, swaggering sound of the latter.

The Truckers are touring the most outspoken album in their 20-year history. American Band, which formed the backbone of the 105-minute set, is a state-of-the-nation address – disturbing, defiant and always thoughtful. It asks questions about prejudice and inequality no one seems able to answer.

Highlights were Guns Of Umpqua (a man facing death in a mass shooting), Ramon Casiano (the murder of a Mexican boy by a gun enthusiast) and Surrender Under Protest (white supremacists). All set out the band’s stall of making subtle points without finger-wagging.

This approach is offset by a butt-kicking three-guitar approach from mainstay singer-songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, along with Jay Gonzalez, that nearly blows the roof off. The set included older classics The Southern Thing, Ever South and Let There Be Rock along with a cover of John Lennon’s Gimme Some Truth, which underlined the rabble-rousing nature of the evening.

If the Truckers have a weakness it’s that neither Hood’s nor Cooley’s voices are as strong as their songs. But that’s a minor quibble about a band who seem more necessary than ever.