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“Do you fancy covering Electric Six in Bristol?”, read the message shortly before I was due to disappear for a bit of winter sun. “Too flipping right I do!” Was my reply, and so, still in the appropriate party spirit, but far from holiday weather, with temperatures well below freezing, I stood shivering outside the O2 in Bristol waiting for doors.
At that point, I was a little concerned. The queue was one of the smallest I have seen at the venue and, whilst it can be crammed there when sold out, a decent crowd is needed to prevent it from being an uncomfortably empty echo chamber.
It seems it was just one of those weird anomalies of nobody wanting to be stood, freezing, for long, as by the time opening band The Kut took their places (a little early, taking us by surprise but giving them time for one extra song) the crowd had grown to a more than respectable level.
The Kut is the tag of multi-instrumentalist “Princess Maha”, whose project this is, now grown to a four-piece with the addition of Alison on guitar, Keira on bass, and Violet on drums for touring.
With an album ‘GRIT’ that has recently topped the UK Rock Chart, a burgeoning reputation, and the addition of the aforementioned Ms. Kenworthy on bass, I was keen to see if there was substance behind the hype. Was there ever!
With a refreshingly different yet ultimately punky sound, the quartet had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the first note. Energetic and enigmatic in equal measure, Maha was a commanding stage presence, easily backed by the quality of musicianship on display. Feminism came to the front with a passionate shout-out to those in the crowd who “keep on bringing courage into the world” and gave lie to the core of steel running through The Kut’s music. Highlights for me? ‘Fun When You’re Winning’ – making waves in the recent World Cup Finals, and the last song in the set, ‘And One More’, which either due to a change of mix or conscious decision, highlighted some superb basslines.
“And Now”, as Monty Python would say…“For Something Completely Different”, as Red Ray and the Reprobates took to the stage. Clearly enjoying a big local following, we had a delightfully enjoyable set of Country and Western, with a brass section, and a Geordie singer/guitarist! Titles such as ‘Fairly Average Brown’ and ‘Scottish Power I Hate You’ suggest that the band have as much fun writing lyrics as they clearly did on stage performing. I found my foot tapping and my smile widening with every song. It is well worth a look at their Facebook page, simply to see the list of “transfers and injuries” (One-handed drummer tonight for example) and general laid-back humour. Sometimes, just having fun and a great time is more important than genre and I will definitely be looking out for them in the future as they are based in the South West.
Finally, it was time to welcome on stage our headliner. Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine stands and simply encourages the audience with a hand in his pocket and a raised eyebrow and we are away. It is the first time I have seen the band live and he is a revelation. Standing at the mic, smart jacket, and cheesy grin, he is reminiscent of a lounge singer, but the wry humour behind that is immediately apparent and infectious. At one point he simply turns, slowly, his fingers cocked like pistols, waiting for the crowd in front of him to respond before turning a few more degrees to encourage the next section.
Tonight we have the pleasure of “Electric Five” rather than six due to being a man down due to new fatherhood, but the sound is still thick and fuzzy. The thing that most struck me was the sheer speed of the setlist. Twenty songs, a LONG setlist, culled from 21 years in the business, but each so short and sweet that if a song didn’t grab you, the next one was along in around two minutes and thirty seconds time! Not that many missed the mark despite Valentine announcing that “The first five songs are the worst we have for you”. There were the expected highlights, ‘Gay Bar’ sent the venue into orbit and during ‘Danger Danger’, Valentine stood, hands in pockets as a scarf sailed out of the audience and wrapped itself perfectly around him without even acknowledging its’ arrival. His wry sense of humour built affection with the crowd “This is track 54 off album 97” for instance was the introduction to ‘Night Vision’ as we kept bouncing, jumping, dancing, and yelling for a breakneck hour and a quarter or so. I don’t think I can remember a set passing by so quickly, or so enjoyably, before the last notes of ‘After Hours’ died away and we exited into the freezing Bristol streets.
Review and all images – Rob Wilkins/Celtography
