There was an atmosphere of excitement around Camden Lock on this Friday night. I had recently reviewed Canada’s Bywater Call’s outstanding ‘Shepherd’ album and interviewed frontwoman Meghan Parnell, so to say I was buzzing would be an understatement!
I had also had the good fortune of seeing Derby’s These Wicked Rivers at this very venue when they supported The Answer. Judging by their performance on that night we were in for a treat.
Credit – Amp Music Photography
Lauren Howsley & The Northern Cowboys was new to me, so I had no expectations, but being from Yorkshire they were always going to be good, within seconds of the opening number I knew both she and her Northern Cowboys were going to set the bar extremely high on this night of Jazz, Blues, Soul & Rock. Lauren engaged with confidence with the audience and what a voice! Her band were hot stuff to as they quickly got into their stride. The forty-minute set passed by in a flash and possibly overran, but no one cared, at this point. It was superb from start to finish.
Credit: Stacey Woods
The stage was quickly cleared as These Wicked Rivers prepared to delight all in attendance with their brand of Blues Rock, a few lampshades adorned the stage as the band tore into their opening number. From here in Arran Day on lead guitar, twisted and turned, throwing Rock god shapes as he sprayed us with a spectacular six-string display. John Hartwell has a huge presence out front; his vocals are glorious; he is indeed a ‘Force of Nature’!
The set was one of outstanding power and showmanship, they are clearly on the way up and will be headlining venues like this very soon. As for highlights, the whole damn thing! ‘Black Gold’, Testify and set closer ‘Don’t Pray For Me’ create a feel and sound that leaves you needing more, much more. It seemed that no sooner had they exploded onto the stage than they were finishing! These Wicked Rivers need to be seen and heard to get any idea of their mesmerising, magnetic, raw power. Their sound is built on the bass of Jon Hallam and the drums of Dan Southall, but it is the kaleidoscope of colour created by Day and Hartwell that embellishes the music to such great effect, well that and a few well-placed lampshades. These Wicked Rivers are a band you simply must not miss.
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Credit: Amp Music Photography
After that display, Bywater Call must have known they needed to deliver the show of their lives. As headliners with so much media coverage, they simply needed to take us on a musical journey that would be memorable and ideally unforgettable. I regard the recently released ‘Shepherd’ as being magnificent, the range of styles that pour from this album is bewildering, Jazz, Soul, Blues, Americana, Gospel and Country infuse this record.
So, how did it go? Well, I have to be honest here, I think it got off to a slow start, though I am not sure why, possibly it was getting all of the sounds that emanated from this extraordinary seven piece balanced and correct. From my position in the photo pit Meghan’s vocals sounded a bit muddied and lost in the mix.
It seemed like a set in two parts, the opening part of seven which included a brand-new song, ‘Sunshine’ just didn’t quite capture the essence of the magic I had anticipated. A cover of ‘Love The One You’re With’ by Stephen Stills seemed a strange choice when they have so much excellent material of their own to promote. What I am trying to say is having raved over the new release I expected far more from it. It might just be my point of view and judging by the reaction of the crowd I am possibly wrong, but I am after all the one reviewing the gig.
‘Sweet Maria’ started what I regard as the second part and we had lift off! Any sound issues had been well and truly sorted and our vocalist was now full of confidence as she shimmied in her glittering tasselled skirt and knee-high white boots. From here the gig and her voice went to ever greater and greater heights. Parnell is captivating in all her performance and personality. ‘Holler’ was excellent, but ‘Colours’ was magical, it ripped into your very soul as every ounce of emotion was delivered by her voice in a mesmerising fashion.
Something had happened on the stage; it was as if the whole band had been hit with a bolt of electrifying confidence. Seemingly by magic; ‘As If’ came next. ‘Everybody Knows’ closed the main set and from where I stood Dingwall’s was bouncing with excitement, that excitement had been generated via the stage, Dave Barnes on guitar supplied some breathtaking solos, the brass section of Stephen Dyte (trumpet) and Julian Nalli (tenor sax) were an integral part, not just musically but also visually. John Kervin on keys added layers of texture on top of the drums and bass of Bruce McCarthy and Mike Meusel.
The show had developed into one of masterful, musicianship that encapsulated the entire venue. Now it was encore time, I expected to hear the simply incredible ‘Sign of Peace’ the showstopper that ends ‘Shepherd’. But what we get is not as expected, a cover of ‘The Weight’ by The Band ends proceedings.
The show was very good, but it could have been absolutely spectacular. I look forward to seeing Bywater Call again, hopefully very soon.
Maybe the addition of These Wicked Rivers for this show promoted by Planet Rock and billed as ‘Blues Power Live’ didn’t help the headliners, I just wish I had seen the gig at Norwich Waterfront Studio which would have been a far more intimate show.
Review: Paul Mace