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Music is a curious beast. It has the ability to make you laugh, then make you cry. It can lift you up or make you contemplate life itself. Sometimes however it can just pass you by, and on the offerings of tonight’s supporting cast this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
d:Jenifus get the ball rolling, but they won’t get very far if people think that they’re called the Jennifers will they? Their Doors meets U2 brand of teenage angst is nothing particularly new - but you never know, they do have youth on their side. If they put the same amount of effort and energy into their own material as they do for a foul mouthed cover of Hendrix’s Fire, then they could be on to something.
Earthed meanwhile, are a power trio that appear to be running on batteries. There do appear to be some tunes struggling to get out, but some extra hours (days, months, years even) polishing things up in rehearsals would do them wonders.
Finally, it's The Leaf Rains' turn to try and ignite Gigwise’s spark, but although they come closest so far, they still don’t quite hit the spot. The singer looks like a young, bearded Springsteen and has got a great bluesy voice, but the complex arrangements and sudden tempo changes of the songs don’t really seem to grab the audience like they should. However the keyboard player could easily win an award for most bored looking person to ever appear on stage.
So having been bored shitless so far, Gigwise is rather apprehensive about what Sam Roberts might have to offer. Here’s what's known about him: he’s a singer/songwriter from Canada, who has had success in his homeland with an EP and a subsequent album release, 'We Were Born in a 
Flambe'. When the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar take the stage, it immediately has Gigwise ticking the “look the part” box – bands don’t grow beards like this unless they’ve been touring for a while, or locked away in some kind of institution. How about the sounds though? Opener 'Hard Road', with it’s Creedence-like chug and it’s refrain of “There must be something in the air”, is a perfect introduction to Roberts’ classic pop rock songs. There is no experimentation here, no frills, just a singer who lives through his songs. Whether it’s the 80’s rock of 'Don’t Walk Away Eileen' or the light rap of 'Brother Down', there is no one sound on offer here. The influences seem to come from all over – AC/DC one minute, the Stones and Beatles the next.
Singer/songwriter is a poor description though, as Roberts is much more than that – a new category should be created for him – singer/songwriter/fucking-brilliant-entertainer. He gees the small crowd up from the start and doesn’t let them out of his grip once. This is it! Excitement! Punching the air! Singing along to songs you’ve never heard before!. It’s just what you want from a night out isn’t it? For some mysterious reason the album isn’t out here until June, but on this showing Sam Roberts (and Band) will be back and you’d be a fool to miss 'em.
Photos by Sakura Henderson
