The Swindonian May 2017

 

I’ve not had the chance to venture out into Swindon’s bordering bars and catch a live band in a few months so it was a feeling of irony and pleasure that I found myself in The Kingsdown Inn in Stratton on Saturday evening.

Pleasure because, aside from it being a good bar, the live band that was setting up when we arrived was a band I wrote a shining gig review for last year (and therein comes the irony!).

I don’t wish to be accused of favouritism and I’m certainly not on the payroll of the band but when I see this band play I want to tell people about them.

The band is ‘The 58 Shakes’, they play rock n roll standards from the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Eddie Cochran (‘Summertime Blues’ being a standout song from the evening) but tucked away in the who’s who of 50’s rock n roll comes the occasional gem from the archives. People like Frankie Ford, Wanda Jackson and current artists Imelda May and JD McPherson get the treatment and they do their jobs well. The band come from Swindon and seem to be busy plugging away at the local music scene with the occasional gig a little further than the confides of the Magic Roundabout but Saturday was a reminder that there are good bands and good musicians locally but the support just doesn’t seem to match the enthusiasm on stage.

The Swindonian has been a strong supporter of live music and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say that if this scene isn’t supported it will be lost and the low support on Saturday is a true representation of where we stand with live music. But I don’t wish to turn political, that is a conversation for another time…

Back to the gig.

I like bands that just play, no small chitchat, no telling stories about the news or the weather, just straight in, grab the audience and play and The 58 Shakes did this. A few guitar changes, a harmonica being used here and there and the occasional swapping on lead vocals (incidentally the bass player should think about a career in stand up, noticing the lack of audience immediately in front of the band he invented one! Answering imaginary questions, asking them to sing along, it was so convincing other members of the audience, who couldn’t see who he was speaking to started looking for them!) meant the music didn’t stay too long in a typical sound or tempo.

There seems to have been a change to the line-up since I saw them last but they haven’t let it affect them, their new guitarist Steve brought some very nice touches to the music, I’ve already mentioned ‘Summertime Blues’ which starts with a guitar solo before Blu, the lead vocalist starts singing. And very good singing it is too. My girlfriend suggested she sounded a little like Wanda Jackson, gravel voiced and ballsy, but with a knack to sing softer songs like ‘Stupid Cupid’ and show vulnerability in her voice and delivery.

It’s obvious when a band are enjoying themselves, songs can extend, following a musicians lead, in jazz they call it improvisation and it’s a skill bands can often overlook, playing exactly how the recording goes or following the chords to the letter, but a few songs, most notably the Ray Charles classic, ‘Hit The Road Jack’ and the bouncy ‘Linda Lu’ fell into something other than strict rock n roll and those among the small audience who know these songs appreciated the shift in mood.

This is a strong band, deserving of a strong following, and when you consider both of the bands sets were nearly twenty songs long a special mention should go to Blu for remembering those lyrics! I always think you can recognise a good band by its rhythm section and in this genre of music, it’s vitally important to have a strong platform for the guitarists to work from, Warren and Darren (drummer and bassist respectfully) do a fine job, they do the unnoticed work, plaudits will be ready to clap to the two guitarists Steve and Adam but when people dance – and I’ve seen a packed pub dance to this band – it’s the taps and booms that they move to.

I was hoping for more songs from their own album (I feel compelled to say it’s available for download), which I bought last year at their Halloween gig, but what they did was good and what they deliver is well worth an evening at your local.

So if you were there too, great, but if you weren’t, go out, pull up a chair, order a drink and watch a band. Any band. Like I say, if you don’t support it, it’ll go…

​

​

Vintage Life March 2017

 

The 58 Shakes are an up and coming rock n roll band and '33' is their fantastic album featuring original tracks.

A great mix of fast and slow tempo songs incorporating a typical rockabilly sound, the album has that familiar 50's vibe, Hey Freckles is a track that is definitely going to get fans in a jiving mood, as is the upbeat track Graduation Day. Girl In The Coffee Shop encompasses a country vibe, albeit with The 58 Shakes twist.

Each song has a distinctive identity, in part due to lead vocalist Blu Cantrell's superb voice, which she is able to adapt suitably for each style of song.

This is a great album for any rock n roll or rockabilly enthusiast."