So the devil has all the good tunes eh? Well this Tennessee collection of Pentecostal Evangelists must have skipped
Sunday school and snuck into his boudoir whilst he was sleeping, stolen a clutch of raw nuggets before turning them
into a collection of fine gems.
The first 3 songs (Red Morning Light, Wasted & Spiral) from the Fotherwill clan -Caleb
brothers (lead singer, rhythm guitar) Nathan (drums) Jared (bass) & first cousin
Mathew (lead guitar) - are a rip snorting blast of guitars, and chewed up lyrics,
dispatched with intensive surges of energy.
It's a sound centred around a core of southern blues cloaked up in a diversity of
influences, from Aretha Franklin, to Al Green to the White Stripes. It shouldn't really
work, this disparate collection of references should be the template for an eclectic
mess, but somehow, all the components click, producing a gloriously effervescent
aural display
Already they've ensnared a sweat drenched, capacity
Roadhouse crowd who want to know what all the fuss
is about. Indeed, the girl next to me saw them in
Bridlington last night supporting the Music, but
followed them to Manchester, because this lot ".. are
going to be big" On tonight's showing they have the
potential and the songs, as we are finding out in this
small intimate setting.
By now you will probably know that the band name comes from their father &
grandfather Leon,, providing a little insight to just how much all matter family matter
to this lot. On stage a great deal of subtly interplay exists between them, a situation
evolved from years of playing together in one form or another since they kids,
travelling around red neck country in the back of their parent cars/vans. No Oasis
sibling frictions here, merely identikit tangled balls of hair they wouldn't look out of
place on the set of a stereotypical 70's movie, or even on a Ron Jeremy set.
Between numbers, Caleb, with his D'Atartangan type goatee, is peace and calm
personified after the intensity preceding and what is to follow, surveying his
audience, not feeling the need to introduce numbers, eager to get on with the work in
hand.
Changing the pace in order to maintain audience
interest, "Joes Head", "Locker" & "Molly Chambers"
take a slightly different route, though none the less
satisfying before once again picking up pace, much
akin to the journey they always seem to be refreeing
to.
"TRANI" is a barn stormer of a closer, twisted guitars
and skewed bass - think Motorhead "Ace of Spades"
mixed with Lynyrd Skynyrd, with a catchy hook line
thrown in.
Invigorating, exciting, on the way to a venue near
you,. Catch them