Reviews
Artists: Groovy Dad
Venue: The Castle
Town: Finchly, London
Date: 7th May
The Castle is a good venue for music and not one I'd come across before. With a cardboard cutout of Roy Orbison grooving out at the back of the stage before the band appeared, you felt the evening might provide a spot of fun.
If you've written a book that's now a major Hollywood film, especially one about the music phenomenon that is U2, you might think that that was enough to be getting on with. Well some might. But as part of the build up to the release of Killing Bono in the UK, Neil McCormick (also the Telegraph chief rock music critic) decided that he'd quite like to take part in the reform of old school band Sore Throat and participate in the labour of love that is rock and roll. And and the Groovy Dads were born.
It also turns out that the only composition of McCormick's that the GDs play tonight, 'Harms Way,' was covered by one Mel Gibson. He apparently misinterpreted the lyric as 'Stay Out of Mary's Way' and added it to some quasi religious album. Anecdotes aside GD know how to rock out and performed an admirable set of thrilling, rootsy rock standards, displaying their obvious appreciation of the genre. McCormick has a touch of the Brian Ferry's in his vocal style and the Roxy influence can be heard through throughout. But it is Reid Savage who is the glue that makes the whole thing work. A highly accomplished guitarist who can jump between styles and textures with composite ease.
Even The Ace of Spades, though a bit of a surprise, worked well. These guys know their way round a tune, which is not always true of the bands one comes across away from the mainstream venues. And McCormick also had a neat story about allegedly being offered an illicit substance off Lemmy's long dirty finger nail in a pub toilet back in the day. There were lots of references to the over 50s and prostate issues but there was no mistaking the quality of the vintage here (sorry!)
We were told that this was the second of 2 one off gigs. Grammatical differences aside I suspect there may yet be more. I've yet to see Killing Bono but if it's half as much fun as Groovy Dad it'll be worth the price of admission.
Frank Joshua