Charity begins at…
The Blind Lemon Gators (w/ Powderkeg and Jeanice Lee Band)
NR Rocks, DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate 3rd August 2019
The Blind Lemon Gators (w/ Powderkeg and Jeanice Lee Band)
NR Rocks, DreadnoughtRock, Bathgate 3rd August 2019
The Edinburgh based Jeanice Lee band are a guitar led quartet that can genuinely claim to have a highly individualist, distinct and contemporary sound, as heard to interesting dark, melodic rock effect on Jeanice Lee’s debut album, Beyond Never.
Much of that album was showcased on the band’s thirty-five minute opening set of the 2019 edition of NR Rocks, an annual event held at the DreadnoughtRock in Bathgate in aid of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy.
Given that music can be such a powerful, therapeutic and impacting tool, as championed by the great work of Nordoff Robbins, it was fitting that the three acts performing at NR Rocks were all equally impacting.
Much of that album was showcased on the band’s thirty-five minute opening set of the 2019 edition of NR Rocks, an annual event held at the DreadnoughtRock in Bathgate in aid of Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy.
Given that music can be such a powerful, therapeutic and impacting tool, as championed by the great work of Nordoff Robbins, it was fitting that the three acts performing at NR Rocks were all equally impacting.
Jeanice Lee goes Beyond Never for NR Rocks
Opening with the title track of the album, complete with A cappella and vocal effect intro, 'Beyond Never' is a quirky and melodically dark-rocking affair that doubles as the perfect "this is Jeanice Lee" introduction both musically and vocally/ lyrically (Lee’s lyricism flits from the personal and inner self to the wider world; don’t expect the usual rock ‘n’ roll clichés here, folks).
Elsewhere in the set 'Freefall' delivered euro-rock appeal while contrast came by way of the slower or softer rock approaches, such as hauntingly arranged 'Dark Cellar,' which showcased Jeanice Lee’s distinct vocal style.
Glam punk outfit Powderkeg, fronted by Jen (no second name formalities with this party-rock band) are another group with a distinct sound, albeit borrowed heavily from the glam rock era (more the later US variant than the UK 70s movement) but with a whole dose of punky rock and roll attitude.
Elsewhere in the set 'Freefall' delivered euro-rock appeal while contrast came by way of the slower or softer rock approaches, such as hauntingly arranged 'Dark Cellar,' which showcased Jeanice Lee’s distinct vocal style.
Glam punk outfit Powderkeg, fronted by Jen (no second name formalities with this party-rock band) are another group with a distinct sound, albeit borrowed heavily from the glam rock era (more the later US variant than the UK 70s movement) but with a whole dose of punky rock and roll attitude.
The punky Powderkeg; wham, glam, thank you ma'am
On a couple of songs the Glasgow based group even managed to sound like a 70s US east coast club band that would have been a perfect support for The New York Dolls – 'Make Up Your Mind,' the single and song that caught the band their initial attention in 2017, being a boisterous case in glam 'n' roll point.
The fast paced glam-thrash of 'Keep Me Around' also made an impact, as did the lyrical drive of Powderkeg punk anthem, 'Them;' the glam-fun side of the band was then delivered in fine and feisty fashion through latest single, 'New Day,' a tribute to Powderkeg's favourite glam bands of the 70s and 80s.
Headline act The Blind Lemon Gators are certainly working hard on their presence and profile as they head toward release of debut album, Gatorville (where there’s a gig there’s a ‘Gator or three – this was the fourth time in three weeks your reviewer had caught the band live, including an impressive Album Preview show in Stirling and two sets at the Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest).
Greig Taylor may be the vocal point of the band but he's not necessarily the focal point – Iain Donald is fast becoming one of the slide guitar players to watch and listen to, with an intuitiveness that belies (and seriously contradicts) that this is his second instrument (Donald was bass player for a short time in Greig Taylor’s first group, GT’s Boos Band).
The fast paced glam-thrash of 'Keep Me Around' also made an impact, as did the lyrical drive of Powderkeg punk anthem, 'Them;' the glam-fun side of the band was then delivered in fine and feisty fashion through latest single, 'New Day,' a tribute to Powderkeg's favourite glam bands of the 70s and 80s.
Headline act The Blind Lemon Gators are certainly working hard on their presence and profile as they head toward release of debut album, Gatorville (where there’s a gig there’s a ‘Gator or three – this was the fourth time in three weeks your reviewer had caught the band live, including an impressive Album Preview show in Stirling and two sets at the Arran Rock 'N' Blues Fest).
Greig Taylor may be the vocal point of the band but he's not necessarily the focal point – Iain Donald is fast becoming one of the slide guitar players to watch and listen to, with an intuitiveness that belies (and seriously contradicts) that this is his second instrument (Donald was bass player for a short time in Greig Taylor’s first group, GT’s Boos Band).
The Blind Lemon Gators, one seriously snappy delta blues band
That Iain Donald is from Alloa and not the Mississippi Delta is also hard to grasp given the vocabulary he has with slide in hand; he’s not playing notes, he’s fully expressing himself (listen no further than 'Goodnight Irene,' performed in memory of Donald’s mother who sadly passed in 2018).
On the pacier ‘Gators material it’s all about the rhythm 'n' snare snap of drummer Dave Cantwell, whose train track beats and military styled precision drive the fuller sounding, up-tempo numbers ('Blues Man’s Shoes,' 'Gravy Train').
But The Blind Lemon Gators can also blues it up – Muddy Waters' 'Champagne and Reefer' is Taylor made (pun intended) for singer and band while originals such as 'All I Ever Wanted' and 'Ain’t Got You' conjure up images of Sam Cooke and Chess Records, respectively.
Although the band have been performing for a couple of years it’s still very early days for The Blind Lemon Gators, but based on the quality of Gatorville and how well they perform live, these ‘Gators should be snapping at the heels of the biggest draws on the blues circuit in the very near future.
With the bands having their musical say at NR Rocks 2019, it’s time for this writer and reviewer to have his.
All three acts and, more importantly, the charity, deserved a far large audience than the relatively small but highly appreciative and generous crowd that turned up to support live music and Nordoff Robbins.
Admittedly a name act such as GUN or The King Lot (an outstanding, local to the area band who have built up a large following in recent years) are far more likely to sell out or pack out a NR charity gig at the DreadnoughtRock (as both have done in the past), but a three band show of this calibre, for a knock down £10 ticket price, deserved better.
But it does point to part of the low-attendance problems on the club circuits – that, in general, classic rock covers bands and tribute acts playing a club or music bar, sometimes for free, will have a larger, ready-made audience for songs that have been heard or played eleventy-seven times in the last month or are already in every rock fans' collection or streaming playlists.
It’s also, however, how most music clubs and smaller venues make their money.
On the plus side, the money raised for Nordoff Robbins at NR Rocks 2019 was of an amount that meant each attendee had, on average, put way more than their ticket price into a charity bucket or selection of raffle tickets, thus ensuring a much appreciated charitable donation on another great night for live, original music.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo Credit: Mark Forsyth/ #094 Media (all band images)
On the pacier ‘Gators material it’s all about the rhythm 'n' snare snap of drummer Dave Cantwell, whose train track beats and military styled precision drive the fuller sounding, up-tempo numbers ('Blues Man’s Shoes,' 'Gravy Train').
But The Blind Lemon Gators can also blues it up – Muddy Waters' 'Champagne and Reefer' is Taylor made (pun intended) for singer and band while originals such as 'All I Ever Wanted' and 'Ain’t Got You' conjure up images of Sam Cooke and Chess Records, respectively.
Although the band have been performing for a couple of years it’s still very early days for The Blind Lemon Gators, but based on the quality of Gatorville and how well they perform live, these ‘Gators should be snapping at the heels of the biggest draws on the blues circuit in the very near future.
With the bands having their musical say at NR Rocks 2019, it’s time for this writer and reviewer to have his.
All three acts and, more importantly, the charity, deserved a far large audience than the relatively small but highly appreciative and generous crowd that turned up to support live music and Nordoff Robbins.
Admittedly a name act such as GUN or The King Lot (an outstanding, local to the area band who have built up a large following in recent years) are far more likely to sell out or pack out a NR charity gig at the DreadnoughtRock (as both have done in the past), but a three band show of this calibre, for a knock down £10 ticket price, deserved better.
But it does point to part of the low-attendance problems on the club circuits – that, in general, classic rock covers bands and tribute acts playing a club or music bar, sometimes for free, will have a larger, ready-made audience for songs that have been heard or played eleventy-seven times in the last month or are already in every rock fans' collection or streaming playlists.
It’s also, however, how most music clubs and smaller venues make their money.
On the plus side, the money raised for Nordoff Robbins at NR Rocks 2019 was of an amount that meant each attendee had, on average, put way more than their ticket price into a charity bucket or selection of raffle tickets, thus ensuring a much appreciated charitable donation on another great night for live, original music.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo Credit: Mark Forsyth/ #094 Media (all band images)