Seemingly forever tinged with the "Guitar Manchester" tag, (Hollies, Stone Roses, Madchester etc., plus the more
lately Nine Black Alps & the Longcut etc.), along with other, more unwelcome sobriquets, for those willing to look
beneath the surface, there are a whole host of diverse sounds bubbling away.
Managing to bridge the gap between the straight forward more honest type of
"rock'n'roll" exhibited by Gold Blade, Jay Taylor reveals a swampier, blues
driven style with Bonebox.
When the band -and it is a integral set up rather that one man and his alter
ego-, announce a "full band set", don't be mislead into thinking that it' will be
the standard 4 piece that will form the basis of their line up. Tonight, there are
seven on the stage, and even Matt Hooker is away elsewhere.
The resultant effect is that no two Bonebox shows will ever be the same.
Opener "Trusty Hound" re-acquaints the crowd with the "gravel-in-a-bag"
voice of Jay that Tom Waits would be proud off. From the seven song set
though, five are actually newies from the forthcoming album. Needless to say
the release wont cause too many ripples in the charts, as the seedy, sleazy,
imaginary on display is not for those with a pop palate, but that shouldn't
dismay Bonebox followers.
Alternating between stalking the stage area in pleasingly threatening manner,
and slinging a guitar around himself, Jay leads the procession of rich textures
from slide guitars, to trumpet to keyboards et all .
It's getting on for midnight when the set starts, a perfect time for the evocation
of Mexican style westerns, but here, there isn't necessarily any good guys.
Set closer "St. Jay's Infirmary" tests the drumming skills of brother Ben, aggression and venom slowly building,
intensity growing, finally leaving a refreshed sense of hearing
