LAST WEEK IN LONDON: The Drums, The Drums, The Drums
- Posted on May 27, 2008 3:21 PM
- 0 comments
By Peter Coulston
Hello and welcome; so I arrived back from Brighton relatively unscathed, braced by the sea air and the good music (the mussels and beer weren’t bad, either). It’s Monday and I am back to the grind as I wend my way to Kilburn and the Luminaire; a nicely decked out basement venue on Kilburn High Road where I am due to hear folk rock/alternative country by a lady from LA. This sounded pretty good, but it got even better; we had Jacob Golden as opener. I saw him last in September when he opened for Catherine Feeny at Dingwalls, and was very impressed by his performance, though I expressed concern at it’s complexity. This gig, however, was a perfect venue for him; very intimate with an audience that listened and tuned in to his intense renderings.
This talented lad from Portland, Oregon is a bit like Leonard Cohen, sometimes; but most times he’s like Jacob Golden. The songs were heavy, for the most part, but his clear, passionate voice and innovative guitar playing make them accessible even if you do need to concentrate. He currently has an album available called ‘Revenge Songs’, from which much of his set came. ‘Zero Integrity’ and ‘Hold Your Hair Back’ came early on and were every bit as good as ‘On Saturday’ and ‘America’, which he finished with. You need to hear him, so check out his MySpace.
Keeping it stateside for the second half, we were introduced to the excellent material available from Sarabeth Tucek and her four piece band. The songs were solid and full of great hooks and she sang them with feeling despite her voice being somewhat delicate. The harmonies were good and I loved the band, particularly the keyboards. An encore was demanded and provided, with ‘Stillborn’ and ‘Home’ being particularly good. She records for Echo Records and is on www.myspace.com/sarabethtucek.
Now, for something completely different; on Tuesday it was all about album launches and jazz fusion, the venue being Momo, a Moroccan restaurant on Heddon Street, which is off Regent Street. Usually album launches are lots of free drinks and snacks and publicity handouts but very little music. This one was just the opposite.
The party was in a basement area of the restaurant that was full of North African atmosphere and packed with diners as well as us hacks. I expected Peter Lorre to walk in any minute and someone to start playing ‘As Time Goes By’. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and, after some very strong Moroccan red wine, the music began. To describe it as jazz fusion does not even begin to describe it. The artist in question is Seckou Keita and we were treated to songs from his new album ‘The Silimbo Passage’. He lives in the Midlands but is originally from Senegal, and is a virtuoso of the kora, a stringed instrument that can best be described as a harp that you hang around your neck. He plays them (he has several) like a harp but the sounds that he achieves are a combination of Jimi Hendrix and Earl Scruggs. He also sings and plays percussion, but most of the vocals were from the incredible voice of Binta Suso, a lady who, like his remarkable percussionist, is from the Gambia. This guy takes drumming to a new dimension and the band also features a violinist from Egypt and a bass player from Italy. Needless to say they are the business also. All in all, a remarkable evening. My only suggestion is to go to www.myspace.com/seckoukeita to buy the album and check out the tour dates. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
So on to Thursday and that venue of venues, The Troubadour in Earl’s Court. I was there to see a band from Brighton who came highly recommended, but that was not all that was on offer. Old friends and new experiences awaited me and began with Samsara, the aforementioned band from Brighton that plays a very distinctive brand of ska mixed with sixties psychedelic. Fronted by Jeremy Levitsky on vocals and acoustic guitar, ably accompanied by electric guitar, bass, drums and saxophone, this band held the normally difficult Troubadour audience in the palm of its hand with a great selection of rhythmic and melodic songs that move between reggae and ska and the mystic sounds of the psychedelic sixties. ‘Full Circle’ made me thinks of times that I thought I couldn’t remember while ‘River Man’ was funky and tight. Check this band out, particularly if you are in Brighton or thereabouts. They have a six track album called “Full Circle”, which I shall review shortly and you can find them on www.myspace.com/samsara5.
My surprise for the night was that Orlando Seale was also present and available for business, which always makes for a good night. He had his usual array of talented friends on (and off) stage with him and many familiar numbers came up, including ‘Beautiful Moron’, ‘Devil’s Bath’ and ‘I’ve Forgotten—‘. There was some great cello on ‘All of The Dogs’ and ‘End of the Work’ and some other new numbers which were even a bit on the punk side, or were they just playing louder. Maybe it was the balloons; anyway, another great set, Orlando, can’t wait for that album.
To close we had yet another great band; three in one night, you are really spoiling us. But it’s true, Junkyard Scientists from Reading gave us a great funk/soul set with emphasis on percussion which was supplemented by the saxophone man. Great trumpet and guitars, keys and solid rhythm section really did the business. If I have a criticism, the vocals seemed a little weak on the earlier numbers but were up to the level that the band deserved by the time we went home. They even slowed it up a bit, very effectively, with “Honeycomb” and ended a bit like Santana. Check them out on www.myspace.com/junkyardscientists.
So there you are, another week and a long weekend to look forward to. Unfortunately, the weather is not looking good and there will be lots of politics going down; no, not another by election, the Eurovision Song Contest. Never mind, there’s lots of good music around next week and I will be there to hear it. Come and join me; in any event, stay safe and well and see you soon.
Related links:
More Last Week in London gig tales from Peter Coulston.
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