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On Friday night, hometown garage-rock heroes the Heartless Bastards returned to their roots for an exceptional performance at the Madison Theater in Covington, Ky.

The Heartless Bastards have maintained a loyal following in the Cincinnati area ever since Patrick Carney of the Black Keys originally signed them to Fat Possum Records in 2005.

Most of their concerts are met with acclaim from the audience, especially for the prowess of singer and guitarist, Erika Wennerstrom, and Friday night was no different.

The band began their set with “Marathon,” the opening track from their new album.

Wennerstrom filled the theater with her high-pitched blues vocals and clean guitar, while drummer Dave Colvin began the set with a pounding timpani beat. When Wennerstrom repeated the fitting line, “On this long way home,” nostalgia joined her guitar and vocals in theater’s air.

Throughout the elongated two-hour set, the band performed old favorites, such as the driving rock songs “Witching Poo,” “Gray,” “The Mountain” and “Sway.”

Most notable, however, was the strong performance of their new material. While watching the band perform “Parted Ways,” the catchy and relaxed first single from “Arrow,” it became clear just how in synch the band was, both musically and otherwise.

The drum performance from Dave Colvin was exceptional, as he seamlessly glided from fill to fill. Bassist Jesse Ebaugh provided a solid low-end and guitarist Mark Nathan swayed casually into each melodic guitar solo.

The band continued to please the crowd throughout their set, at one point even pausing between songs to discuss their favorite Cincinnati chili, thank the crowd and detail the importance of the Queen City to them.

The band closed their set with a new song, “Down On the Canyon”, which they proclaimed to be “country-fried doom metal.” Upon ending, the audience roared, and a decent portion of the crowd left.

But those who stuck around were graced with an encore. When everyone rejoined the stage, the band played their hit, “All This Time,” with an incredible amount of vigor before closing the show with “Early in the Morning.” The lights came on, and once again smiles permeated the crowd.

The Heartless Bastards will always have a home in Cincinnati, even now that they’ve become nationally recognized. We, as fans, will always be eagerly awaiting their next stop at home.