This CD is effectively a release of all their previous EPs to date. The format is two new songs and then each of the EPs in reverse chronological order.
Okay lets get this out of the way first - in terms of influences, this band don't only where their hearts on their sleeve they also have a t-shirt and denim jacket with a back patch saying "The Clash" all over them. Now in my opinion there are far worst bands to be influenced by and if it can encourage a new generation of fans to enjoy this style of music I am all for it.
There are numerous "clashesque" straight forward rockers on this CD including "Three Houses", "Capital Youth" and "It threatens". Special mention must also go to one of the new songs "Joys of living" where like the Clash this builds in the sounds of ska (and why not given Leamingtons closeness to the home of Ska!)
However it is too easy and unfair to regard this band as just clones. The song quality alone takes them well above that. This is clearly demonstrated by the other new song "Sweet Harness" which really shows how the band has developed over the past couple of years. This is a great rock song with a huge melody and suggests they picked up a few tips when supporting the Gaslight Anthem. This knack for melody beneath the punk rock is what will make them big and is shown on other songs such as "Common ground" and "it all relates" (love the woo hoo backing vocals!)
There is also a good change of pace with the song " Yours to Fear" which is slower and has a real big drum sound to it. I can imagine loads of American labels hearing this and thinking we could give it a huge production and turn it to "a hit". This however will be missing the whole point of the band because what makes them so good is the rawness and the passion in the music
Quick mention of the lead singers voice which I really love and its style is demonstrated on the holler out opening to "Trains". Its a classic punk rock voice which initially leaves you questioning if its good or not. The fact is that it is full of passion and really gets you in to the songs.
Overall this is a fantastic CD and just leaves you desperately awaiting new material and the debut full CD. The best summary of where this band is going is I live in their home town but had to order the CD from the States - this band is going somewhere and fast!
This is a blog aimed at trying to develop a site for people who want Leamington to have a heart of art, music and culture. Perhaps a little off beat and certainly away from the sterile Corporate world that surrounds us It is a place which will be reliant on you letting us know the cool places to be and the inspired people in the town.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Drive By Truckers - Live at Assembly 4/5/11
This was a really good band for the Assembly to get and in my opinion is what the owners should be trying to focus on. The DBTs have been around for years, have a huge back catalogue and rightly so are picking up fans on the back of the recent revival in Southern rock (Kings of Leon) and folk (Fleet foxes)
Quick mention for the support act Josh T Pearson - now this guy is a real Southern American gent not likely the pretty boys in Kings of Leon!. His set was a strange one where it consisted of relatively low key country rock numbers mixed up with a comedy act based on "musician/drummer jokes" (best one is whats the last thing a stripper does with her asshole before she goes to work?? Drop him off at band practice!). Whilst the jokes were good the set was subdued and sadly this seemed to effect the rest of the night.
It has to be said that the DBTs performed what would be termed a solid set. It certainly had the makings of a great set but just didnt quite get going. Clearly a band of extremely talented musicians who have a good collection of songs. In particular the way they mix the vocals up between the two lead guitarist has the brilliant effect of almost feeling like you get two bands for one, They both have very different voices but with their own unique sound. Indeed the backing vocals by the entire band were excellent.
I wonder if perhaps the crowd had an impact on the band where they were very quiet, Now granted Leamington on a Wednesday night is admittedly not exactly the centre of rock n roll and indeed the vast majority of the crowd appeared to be middle aged men but even the band commented on how quiet they were.
Despite this the band and the gig did come alive towards the end of the set when they played some more of their 'rockier' songs and perhaps it was a pity the band didnt do this earlier.
Overall a good show but perhaps a chance missed??
Quick mention for the support act Josh T Pearson - now this guy is a real Southern American gent not likely the pretty boys in Kings of Leon!. His set was a strange one where it consisted of relatively low key country rock numbers mixed up with a comedy act based on "musician/drummer jokes" (best one is whats the last thing a stripper does with her asshole before she goes to work?? Drop him off at band practice!). Whilst the jokes were good the set was subdued and sadly this seemed to effect the rest of the night.
It has to be said that the DBTs performed what would be termed a solid set. It certainly had the makings of a great set but just didnt quite get going. Clearly a band of extremely talented musicians who have a good collection of songs. In particular the way they mix the vocals up between the two lead guitarist has the brilliant effect of almost feeling like you get two bands for one, They both have very different voices but with their own unique sound. Indeed the backing vocals by the entire band were excellent.
I wonder if perhaps the crowd had an impact on the band where they were very quiet, Now granted Leamington on a Wednesday night is admittedly not exactly the centre of rock n roll and indeed the vast majority of the crowd appeared to be middle aged men but even the band commented on how quiet they were.
Despite this the band and the gig did come alive towards the end of the set when they played some more of their 'rockier' songs and perhaps it was a pity the band didnt do this earlier.
Overall a good show but perhaps a chance missed??
Sharks Live at Moo bar and then Head records
There aren't many bands from Leamington full stop let alone one that is able to have a farewell UK show before jetting off to the States on a country wide tour supporting Social Distortion and Chuck Ragan so these two gigs were ones not to be missed.
The first was in the evening at Moo Bar which seemed an unusual venue but I'm sure they were grateful to actually have a queue building up from 7 on what is probably normally a quiet night. The two support bands were very different -one being a more mature singer songwriter type and the other being a metal/dance hybrid band -but must admit neither did much for me! (Although credit to the second bands look -very 80's Motley Crue and took me back to my days at rock city in Nottingham)
During the night the guys from The Sharks were hanging around speaking to friends/family and fans before walking through the intimate crowd to hit the stage and boy did they hit it. The whole show was excellent and this is clearly a band who love what they do. Their passion for their music was clear in every song. The band played a load of their songs from their recent ep compilation CD (review to follow). Credit must also go the crowd who were young (indeed sure most of them weren't alive when the bands clearest influence the clash were around) and very enthusiastic.
The night ended with a rousing cover of the Clash classic "I fought the law" and what must have been the first time there has ever been a mosh pit in Moo!!!
check out the link below to see one of the songs peformed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlg5EZ6auzM
The following Saturday they then did a small show in Head record store for Record store day. Once again they gained a sizable following and a few familiar faces were there from the Moo show. I have to say it was quite surreal to see the band cramped in to a small shop window!
This acoustic show was also very impressive and it demonstrated the simple fact that a really good song can always be stripped back to the basics and still sound really good. It was only a 4/5 show set but it was good to hear some slow down versions of the songs.
It appears that bright things are ahead of the band with them touring the States, making good connections with other bands and enjoying great press and publicity.
I have a strange feeling that in a few years there will be thousands of people claiming they were there when The Sharks played in a shop window!!
The first was in the evening at Moo Bar which seemed an unusual venue but I'm sure they were grateful to actually have a queue building up from 7 on what is probably normally a quiet night. The two support bands were very different -one being a more mature singer songwriter type and the other being a metal/dance hybrid band -but must admit neither did much for me! (Although credit to the second bands look -very 80's Motley Crue and took me back to my days at rock city in Nottingham)
During the night the guys from The Sharks were hanging around speaking to friends/family and fans before walking through the intimate crowd to hit the stage and boy did they hit it. The whole show was excellent and this is clearly a band who love what they do. Their passion for their music was clear in every song. The band played a load of their songs from their recent ep compilation CD (review to follow). Credit must also go the crowd who were young (indeed sure most of them weren't alive when the bands clearest influence the clash were around) and very enthusiastic.
The night ended with a rousing cover of the Clash classic "I fought the law" and what must have been the first time there has ever been a mosh pit in Moo!!!
check out the link below to see one of the songs peformed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlg5EZ6auzM
The following Saturday they then did a small show in Head record store for Record store day. Once again they gained a sizable following and a few familiar faces were there from the Moo show. I have to say it was quite surreal to see the band cramped in to a small shop window!
This acoustic show was also very impressive and it demonstrated the simple fact that a really good song can always be stripped back to the basics and still sound really good. It was only a 4/5 show set but it was good to hear some slow down versions of the songs.
It appears that bright things are ahead of the band with them touring the States, making good connections with other bands and enjoying great press and publicity.
I have a strange feeling that in a few years there will be thousands of people claiming they were there when The Sharks played in a shop window!!
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