Reviews
Artists: Doghouse Roses / The Duke And The King / Willard Grant
Conspiracy
Venue: The Relentless Garage
Town: London
Date: 08 Sep 09
Website: www.myspace.com/ukdoghouseroses
www.myspace.com/dukeandtheking
www.willardgrantconspiracy.com
The Garage (or now the 'Relentless' Garage, to give it its full sponsored name) has only recently re-opened after major refurbishment. Anyone used to the shabby old venue will probably need a couple of minutes to adjust to the décor and then check to make sure that they have got the right venue. It is a spacious venue with a simple one room "bar at the back, stage at the front" which gives excellent lines of sight and the sound is pretty good as well.
All of this does come at a price though (and not just the £3.90 for a pint of Guinness). The one room means that there is no where for people to chat away from the bands which is fine for two guitar, bass and drums set up, but, as Doghouse Roses found, not so great if you are a folk two piece. The pure voice of Iona Macdonald and finger picked guitar of Paul Tasker struggled with the layout and the ridiculously early start - they were on stage at 7:00pm as there was a 10:30pm curfew.
As they were the middle of three bands The Duke And The King were not affected by the early start and, being a four piece with bass and drums anyone would have struggled to talk above them. Formed by Simone Felice of the Felice Brothers (The Duke) and Bobbie "Chicken" Bird (The King) with Nowell "The Deacon" Haskins and Simi Stone. Simone plays guitar; Burke plays bass; Haskins, drums, Stone plays fiddle and they all sing, really sing. It comes to something when the lead vocalist is, arguably, only the third best singer in the band. This is not just backing vocals as Burke sang lead on "Suzanne" (whilst Felice drummed) and the four part harmonies on "American Song" (played as an encore) were just stunning.
"If You Ever Get Famous", "The Morning I Get To Hell" and "Union Street" were all from their debut album "Nothing Gold Can Stay", "Don't wake the Scarecrow" and "Radio Song" both Felice Brothers songs. The absolute highlight though was their cover of Neil Young's "Helpless".
The Duke and the King are far and away the best live band I've seen this year, no one else is in the frame. With Felice in his Denis the Menace muscle shirt and Stone with her dress ruched up her left thigh you have got two of the most sensuous front people imaginable and yet they no more just front the band than Haskins and Bird just make up the rhythm section as there are times when it seems all four are moving as one.
It would need something special to follow this; The Willard Grant Conspiracy, with a dozen albums over the last thirteen years, was the perfect band. Joined by Macdonald and Tasker from Doghouse Roses, Robert Fisher gave a set of dark, brooding, foreboding tracks (especially with the use of a saw on "Lady of The Snowline") that have marked this constantly changing musical collective as one of the major forces in alt-country.
Fischer decided (seemingly on the spot) to start "Ballard Of John Parker" acapella which was when bar conversations could be heard around the venue together with an irate fan who bellowed "shut the …. up". Fischer, to his enormous credit just shrugged his shoulders and got on with the track. He was less tolerant of the early curfew, referring to it a couple of times during the set and when he said that this would be the last number, it was.
The Jacket
Pic:illustrative not taken at gig/P>