Photo: WENN
There's a dilemma that faces all bands when promoting an as yet unreleased album. How do you strike the balance between playing tracks of the new record (which will be largely unfamiliar to gathered throng and which run the risk of a lukewarm reception) in order to promote it, and sitting back and playing the hits that people have paid good money to hear?
It’s a conundrum that faced, and at one point momentarily threatened to unsettle, Band of Skulls when they played the first of two consecutive nights at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Amid restless early cries of “turn it up” and what appeared, initially at least, to be a rather subdued audience the Hampshire trio dedicate roughly half of the main set to new material from their soon to be released (Monday) 3rd long player, Himalayan.
Thankfully, once the more reserved fans released that the new material not only continues along their trademark primitive garage-blues rock path, but also threatens to eclipse it, they soon get fully on board. Songs such as 'Nightmares' and 'Hoochie Coochie' find frontman and guitarist Russell Marsden in irrepressible form, and last year’s single 'Asleep at the Wheel' already has the makings of an anthem that will be sung long into the future.
Combine the above with the closing triple salvo of 'Sweet Sour', 'Light of the Morning' and the primal 'Death by Diamonds and Pearls', the performance of which cements Marsden as arguably the new British guitar hero for the 21st century.
Now that the Black Keys have officially gone pop and there’s never been fewer guitar bands in the current lexicon of British chart music, the need for a band such as Band of Skulls has never been greater. Based on tonight’s master class of breezeblock drumming, treacle-thick riffage and call/ response vocals we, the Great British public, need Band of Skulls far more than they need us. Don’t change.
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