Jackdaw4's 1st Live Review by Darren Stockford
The 'Daw Opens
Jackdaw4 - live at the Water Rats, London, 7 March 2005
by Darren Stockford
Who knew? I didn't, he didn't, she didn't - and I don't think they did either. As we stand comparing notes after Jackdaw4's first live outing since their album release, it quickly becomes apparent that everyone's thinking the same thing - guitarist Greg Hatwell must have had his voice box cloned from frontman Willie Dowling's. How else could two men sound so alike? It's times like this that I wish there were commentary tracks on CDs: "Greg's singing lead here; Willie comes back in on the chorus; now it's back to Greg."
Go on - put on Gramophone Logic and see if you can pick out the songs that Greg sings the bulk of. I'm tempted to offer a prize, but there's no way I'd be able to tell whether you cheated. Still, I'm not giving you the answer here. Consider my silence an enticement to go and see the band yourself - not that you probably need it. If you've heard the album, I know you'll be gagging to see whether these four guys manage to pull off a live sound as rich, bright and punchy as the recordings.
The good news is that pretty much everything in tonight's 30-minute, eight-song support set is as pleasing to the ears as a gentle tickle with a cotton bud, in spite of some pared-down arrangements (compared with the album versions). This Is Your Life might be missing its chiming keyboard flourishes - due to Willie only having two arms, both of which are wrapped around a guitar at the time - but it still sounds powerful and strident, proving that it ain't what you got, it's the way that you use it. It's weird to think that this is the same twin guitar / bass / drums set-up used by so many uninspiring and uninspired bands, yet here it is producing a sound that's alive with possibilities, a sound that affects. Live music is a medium that's too often swamped with over-amplified bluster, sending all but the die-hard fans of a band scurrying away from the stage to the comfort of the bar - Support Band Syndrome. Yet if I hadn't come especially to see the band tonight, I'm certain that come the third song I'd be eager to check these guys out, even if the barmen were chucking out free tasters.
Set opener Stupid might suggest, to the passing gig-goer at least, that you're in for a set of short, sharp, punk-pop anthems. But when it's followed up with a stabbing Everything I See and a soaring King For A Day, it becomes obvious that there are much broader, and dare I say more exciting, influences at work here. By the time that Willie sits down at the keyboard for The Day I Wrote The Book, and the vocal Beach Boys homage takes flight, I'd be surprised if there's anyone in the room not enthralled by the spectacle of seeing a good old-fashioned pop group in full flow.
The enthusiastic, though sadly unheeded, chants for "More!" that follow the band off the stage after their closing number, a cover of Squeeze's Pulling Mussels, certainly bode well for future gigs, of which I'm hoping there'll be many, and soon - perhaps in some bigger venues if the audience picks up quickly. Usually when I say that it's because I like to see bands doing well and making a name for themselves. This time, it's for aural and atmospheric reasons.
Like the full-size Yamaha keyboard perched on the lip of the stage tonight, some of the band's music seems a bit too big for its surroundings. Clubs this size are about beer and sweat, and though the Water Rats has always felt a little more refined than most, I still find myself imagining these songs ringing out across a sea of heads at a theatre-sized venue, or even a larger club such as the Garage - somewhere with a bit of space for the music to spread its wings. This, coupled with the evolutionary tightening of the band - plus of course an extended setlist (Karaoke Ballet, anyone?) - should yield even greater things in the year ahead.
Jackdaw4's next gig is at the Borderline in London on 24 March. If any of the above waffle has piqued your interest, go along and check out the band for yourself. It'll cost you a fiver with a flyer (available from the band's website). I'm betting that, by the end of the night, you'll think of it as money invested, rather than spent.
Jackdaw4 - live at the Water Rats, London, 7 March 2005
by Darren Stockford
Who knew? I didn't, he didn't, she didn't - and I don't think they did either. As we stand comparing notes after Jackdaw4's first live outing since their album release, it quickly becomes apparent that everyone's thinking the same thing - guitarist Greg Hatwell must have had his voice box cloned from frontman Willie Dowling's. How else could two men sound so alike? It's times like this that I wish there were commentary tracks on CDs: "Greg's singing lead here; Willie comes back in on the chorus; now it's back to Greg."
Go on - put on Gramophone Logic and see if you can pick out the songs that Greg sings the bulk of. I'm tempted to offer a prize, but there's no way I'd be able to tell whether you cheated. Still, I'm not giving you the answer here. Consider my silence an enticement to go and see the band yourself - not that you probably need it. If you've heard the album, I know you'll be gagging to see whether these four guys manage to pull off a live sound as rich, bright and punchy as the recordings.
The good news is that pretty much everything in tonight's 30-minute, eight-song support set is as pleasing to the ears as a gentle tickle with a cotton bud, in spite of some pared-down arrangements (compared with the album versions). This Is Your Life might be missing its chiming keyboard flourishes - due to Willie only having two arms, both of which are wrapped around a guitar at the time - but it still sounds powerful and strident, proving that it ain't what you got, it's the way that you use it. It's weird to think that this is the same twin guitar / bass / drums set-up used by so many uninspiring and uninspired bands, yet here it is producing a sound that's alive with possibilities, a sound that affects. Live music is a medium that's too often swamped with over-amplified bluster, sending all but the die-hard fans of a band scurrying away from the stage to the comfort of the bar - Support Band Syndrome. Yet if I hadn't come especially to see the band tonight, I'm certain that come the third song I'd be eager to check these guys out, even if the barmen were chucking out free tasters.
Set opener Stupid might suggest, to the passing gig-goer at least, that you're in for a set of short, sharp, punk-pop anthems. But when it's followed up with a stabbing Everything I See and a soaring King For A Day, it becomes obvious that there are much broader, and dare I say more exciting, influences at work here. By the time that Willie sits down at the keyboard for The Day I Wrote The Book, and the vocal Beach Boys homage takes flight, I'd be surprised if there's anyone in the room not enthralled by the spectacle of seeing a good old-fashioned pop group in full flow.
The enthusiastic, though sadly unheeded, chants for "More!" that follow the band off the stage after their closing number, a cover of Squeeze's Pulling Mussels, certainly bode well for future gigs, of which I'm hoping there'll be many, and soon - perhaps in some bigger venues if the audience picks up quickly. Usually when I say that it's because I like to see bands doing well and making a name for themselves. This time, it's for aural and atmospheric reasons.
Like the full-size Yamaha keyboard perched on the lip of the stage tonight, some of the band's music seems a bit too big for its surroundings. Clubs this size are about beer and sweat, and though the Water Rats has always felt a little more refined than most, I still find myself imagining these songs ringing out across a sea of heads at a theatre-sized venue, or even a larger club such as the Garage - somewhere with a bit of space for the music to spread its wings. This, coupled with the evolutionary tightening of the band - plus of course an extended setlist (Karaoke Ballet, anyone?) - should yield even greater things in the year ahead.
Jackdaw4's next gig is at the Borderline in London on 24 March. If any of the above waffle has piqued your interest, go along and check out the band for yourself. It'll cost you a fiver with a flyer (available from the band's website). I'm betting that, by the end of the night, you'll think of it as money invested, rather than spent.
posted by Guttercat @ 9:08 pm
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