LABELS eh? Tend to get in the way when it comes to music. What was once rock has had so many labels plastered across it over the years that it resembles a parcel lost in international transit, rerouted so many times it has lost all sense of direction.

Classic Rock, once prefaced hard or heavy, old school or progressive, is a case in point. Initially applied to former flag-bearers like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Deep Purple and Van Halen, it has suffered the vagaries of fast fad and fashion.

Currently, and happily, back in favour where once it was derided by critics determined to whitewash the old and paint it in whatever shade happened to be flavour of the week, the genre has a new lease of life as yet another generation takes up the baton.

Take Broken Wires. The fledgling Brit band cites influences including the aforesaid Zeppelin, Van Halen and AC/DC alongside the Stones,  Dream Theater, Iron Maiden and Thirty Seconds To Mars. They occasionally drop the odd Motorhead, Who or Ramones cover in the setlist too.

It’s a list that suggests old heads, but these heads are on remarkably young shoulders. Frontman Henry Fradgley is all of 15 years old. Yes, fifteen. Guitarist Frankie Fradgley and drummer George Swift are both 17, and bassist Emma Powell the eldest member of the band at 18.

But, and here’s the thing, they’re already road-hardened having played as many as 50 gigs, ranging from clubs to festivals, in one year alone. They’ve taken their music to Germany, to LA,  New Orleans and Memphis, and, memorably to The Bluebird Café in Nashville.

Hence, when they celebrated the release of their debut album Author Of Your World (pictured above) on Sunday night by playing it live, and in track order, at Kidderminster’s 45 Live rock club, the band was appropriately sure-footed, brimming with confidence and exuberance.

And that’s what they bring to Classic Rock, breathing new life into the old fella, a fresh injection of energy with post-punk hints here and there of Guns N’Roses’ Spaghetti Incident; the glam rush of Bowie’s Suffragette City; even an occasional tip of the stetson to Americana.

Set opener Coffee Rock sets out stall with a helter-skelter riff and wailing guitar, a statement song wearing a vocal sneer. Big brother Fradgley steps down into the crowd to fire off lightning licks, a move most bands hold in reserve for later in a set, should audience attention wander.

Hour of Change boasts a fist-pumping hook and a stirring JFK soundbite, while a descending bass figure ushers in set highlight Just Fine, complete with a guest sax spot for Luke Pender, who also performs on the album. Damn Dance has that hint of Bowie rock and roll.

Throughout the gig, Powell’s bass and Swift’s precision drumming are the firm foundations upon which the Fradgleys build. Both get their showcases, wisely built into songs highlighting their skills rather than wandering off the path for self-indulgent solos.

Lead single The Merchant adds a dollop of funk to the mix; Private Climate shows they can slow things down without dialling down attitude; Money=Madness is the most mature offering, suggesting they’ve been paying their dues for years.  

Okay, there are minor quibbles. Perhaps one time-change too many in a short song, denying the urgent need to simply rock out. And the instrumental Theatre of Sound is an absolute barnstormer in need of a longer lifespan rather than ending abruptly three or four minutes in.

They close the set proper with Jewel Day Parade, the longest song of the set, with all of those Classic Rock influences to the fore – the strongest vocal of the night, gorgeous guitar (with some added lap steel trickery) and a nod to classic 1997 mob movie Donnie Brasco.

The band returns for two encores, new songs, written only weeks ago, which show they’re still honing their skills without polishing them to an artificial sheen. Both The Vagrant and Memento Mori are strong, suggesting that there’s much more yet to come.

Not the future of rock and roll, then – it’s still early days and, besides, it’s a tag too tarnished to attach – but proof that there’s still vitality in a genre, reports of whose death have long been greatly exaggerated.

Broken Wires debut album Author Of Your World is available on Apple Music, Spotify and other main streaming platforms now, with sophomore single Coffee Rock brewing nicely on Youtube.

UPDATE: Nice to see my review picked up by The Birmingham Post Birmingham Mail, Sunday Mercury and Birmingham Live.