Reviews
Artist: Dead Like Harry
Venue: The Cellars
Town: Eastney, Portsmouth
Date: 08/12/08
Website: http://www.deadlikeharry.com
The Cellars in Eastney is a lovely venue. It has a good sound system, good beer, and best of all, the audience are there to appreciate the music, not to gossip and chat.
This was the third time that Dead Like Harry have played there. To reduce transport costs, the first time they played as a trio; Alice, Matt and Sam, but they were such a success that the next time the whole band came. This time we were treated to both an acoustic set and a full electric set.
Dead Like Harry are extremely prolific. You only have to blink and they seem to have written enough material for a new album. But they don't just play new material. There's plenty of older material to keep those like me who have known them since they supported the Strawbs. Matt and Sam have been playing and writing now for ten years now. Incredible as they are all so young.
Was very pleased to discover that they were selling their new single "Fight". I had thought it was only available as a download, and I date from an era where I like to actually have something physical rather than a nebulous stream of digital data.
The band is very adaptable. Aware that the stage area at The Cellars is tight, Robin had left his double bass behind, and relied on his electric bass throughout and Matt had left his drums and accordion behind and only brought his keyboards. Despite that, their sound was perfect.
Although Sam is the band's main singer, Matt took the lead on several songs and Alice bowled everyone away with her solo "Lost Without You". She also took the lead in a track completely new to me in the second set, "Road trip". Alice's confidence in her voice has grown over the years, and she has considerable range, being able to sing a sweet ballad, or to scream at full pelt in "Watching Your Eyes". As Sam says, she has the voice of a horny angel! Adam and John often add harmonies as well, giving the band a very varied sound.
Both John (lead guitar) and Adam (drums), the newest members of the band, have really made their mark. Adam can power-house through the heavy rock numbers one minute then provide soft gentle percussion in the quieter numbers.
Robin's bass, often takes the lead riff, and often provides a solid background rhythm, but Robin is more than just a bassist. The way his hair falls perfectly back into place after wildly flailing about provides a visual imagery that characterises the look of the band.
The sound of the band though is mainly characterised by Sam's voice and Matt's keyboards. A truly winning combination.
Far too many highlights to list them all. Alice's "Lost Without You" was breathtaking; fabulous to hear the older songs like "The Tenth October"; loved the quieter songs like "Some Nobody To Me" and "Mousehole" (pronounced Mouzel, a Cornish seaside town and about a maritime disaster that happened on the day that Matt was born); loved the way "Sarah" merged directly with "Streets" and "Watching Your Eyes" has always been a favourite of mine.
Set list was:
Set 1: Acoustic Set
Set Me Free
Goodbye
Breakfast Call
Nothing Matters Now
The Tenth October
Lost Without You
Some Nobody To Me
Dead White Roses
Set 2: Electric Set
Fight
When We Were 17
Road Trip
What a Bloody Shame
Walk in Through the Morning
1000 Miles (Living For a City)
You're Not Alone
Cross the Water
Mousehole
Watching Your Eyes
Shapes on the Ceiling
Sarah
Streets
Cherry Street
Couldn't Love You Anymore
Encore
Hope We Meet Again
Joanna
Pete Bradley