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Doghouse Boat Boys

Venue: Rockstone Tavern
Town: Southampton
Date: 19th January 2013
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Doghouse-Boat-Boys/167029163331844

The Rockstone Tavern is a traditional pub in the heart of BevoisValley, Southampton with rustic settings and a gourmet restaurant menu at pub prices. Tonight it was home to all this and more with Bustling music crowd for the best kept secret of south coast skiffle The Doghouse Boat Boys(DHBB).

The DHBB were whipping up a frenzy in what was described by them as ending up a 'jam' at some point in the set was for anyone watching a supremely tight display of music served ala Americana with audience participation level set to extreme hoedown.

The DHBB never disappoint in a live performance and your only credible complaint at their endless display of free entry gigs is being able to get up close. I struggled to penetrate the thick crowd of caterwauling country music/Bluegrass fans lined with and excited drinkers mixed in with restaurants diners who can't believe their luck, only stepping out for food. Crowd population was overwhelming with many being turned away at maximum capacity as it often is at DHBB gigs but unlike other gigs this only adds taste to the overall atmosphere of the evening.

Stuart 'Sweetchunks' Blakeledge is partly to thank for the warmed up crowd, glazing them with rich authentic home grown Blues-Folk done modestly as a lone acoustic singer/songwriter. Stuart is set to return to the Rockstone Sat 26th Jan so there is a chance for catch him live before the trendy's have their way.

As the mighty DHBB stormed a set including a medley of Rolling Stones/Johnny Cash./Hank Williams their self penned songs like 'backdoor, 'in the doghouse' and 'the fave chicken-pie' always met fierce roars from the crowd. DHBB write songs that are jolly and simple and don't seem to cold-shoulder newcomers and are steeped in authenticity to the genre they are reconstructing. 'Rain burns my soul' has a passing homage to the song from the film 'Brother, where art thou' but is entirely built from scratch. DHBB always being a spectacle they are also not limited as a band you have to 'see' I felt the feel good vibes from across the bar and beyond. Their acoustic Blues/Country revival clique carries with it a guarantee of a good time, across musical boundaries and hipster age traps. They are sort of like Mumford and Sons who do exactly what it say on the tin. Not fussed with seductive commercial success that could easily be waiting for them, in a world of gimmicks and clutching at straws musical marketing; the DHBB remain firm and true to their art.

Jeremy Spencer
photocredit: ChrisMeany.com