Oh boy. Wow wee. There is so much talent floating around Adelaide these days. At times during Saturday evening at The Gov, I quite honestly felt as if I was one of those blessed souls that just happened to be at The Cavern Club in 1961 when Epstein saw The Beatles for the first time.
There was certainly something special about the musical energy that these four acts emitted. In Sam Brittain’s own words, “When I decided to do this album launch here in Adelaide, I was just spoilt for choice. So I just asked all my friends to come and play with me.”
And play they did, beginning with B R Dalton, a brooding singer songwriter fresh off the last flight from Dublin. His marked Irish brogue only added to character to his tunes of lament. Apparently, he and Sam became friends last year in Ireland. Given the striking similarity of their songs, it’s not hard to see why. Bringing Sam onstage for one song (to add delicate Telecaster riffs), Dalton showcased the depth of his songsmith ability. The only non-native performer on the night, he certainly outdid the majority of opening acts I’ve ever seen.
Then, Kelly Menhennet. Accompanied only by keys, Kelly sung the shit out of several beautifully written songs. After she’d left the stage, all I could hear was her deep, rich vocals ringing in my ears. I’d very much like to experience that again. When Ms Menhennet covered Tom Waits, for just a few moments I felt as if I understood life. Only great music, played with the amount of soul Kelly conjured, can do that. It goes without saying the woman can really sing. I think she’d class herself as alt country. But the amount of soul and blues influence in both her voice and the crafting of her songs is undeniable. And it’s amazing to listen to.
Given how deep the music had been to this point, the Wasted Wanderers’ brand of kick ass blues rock was welcome. There is just something genuinely exciting about these lads. Having first heard their material during their performance on the Zoo Stage at Womadelaide earlier this year, I put my Spotify subscription to work and had had their EP Goddamn Anything spinning in my car for some weeks.
During that Womadelaide set, they were a seven piece but back-up singers and keys. On Saturday night they were just a three piece with a fill-in bassist. But you’d never have known. The crowd was a fairly even cross-section of generations that evening, and when they kicked off with the title track from the EP, “Goddamn Anything”, not one head or foot was motionless. You simply can’t listen to this music and not groove. Dusty’s mastery of his guitar, along with the powerful rhythm and harmony provided by Matt and (usually) Benny, make for gluttonously good music. “Keep It To Yourself”, also on the EP, is another must listen.
https://soundcloud.com/dlww/sets/goddamn-anything-ep
By the time Sam Brittain reached the stage, I felt almost sure the supply of quality musicians had been exhausted. Oh, how wrong I was. Admittedly, I’ve not listened to a great deal of alt country in my time, but Sam’s blend of alt rock and country is unique. His most recent single, “Stab In The Dark”, sounds like something you might have heard at The Troubadour in LA, 1971. Yet, “The Lucky One” is distinctly more modern. Interestingly, the way the songs translated from recording to stage was striking.
So many of the tracks from Sam’s new album Signal Lights took on a whole new personality as live interpretations of boxed music. I’ll confess to never having heard Sam’s music until a few weeks ago, but the joke’s on me now. Having watched him command the microphone at this album launch, I’m only sorry for all the beautiful music I’ve missed. His band were solid, and the addition of a slide guitar took the quality of the live performance to a heady level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpNHJJv4UaQ
Lyrically and musically, Sam will throw you into a pit of despair and then wrench you out and hand you a bunch of flowers, all within the space of two minutes. The maturity of his songs isn’t easily ignored and the conviction of his voice can’t be overlooked.
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