After yet another unpredictable weekend with the weather, The Treehouse in Frome was set up and ready for a sold-out night. Now this is a good sign seeing it’s a Sunday (school) night. So, what’s going down on this cold Autumn evening, you ask? Well, it’s the last night of The Damn Truth’s latest UK tour which has seen them play at some of the UK’s finest music establishments such as Winterstorm in bonny Scotland, to wet and windy Wales, where they’re freshly back from infamous Planet Rockstock that’s been running since Thursday.
Support tonight is provided by Ashley Sherlock who’s brought along his bassist Charlie Rachel Kay and drummer Danny Rigg, to make up this impeccable trio based in Manchester. After supporting female blues artist Arielle during September, who we know as being ‘hand-picked’ by Brian May for a lead role in the musical ‘We Will Rock You’; the support he’s providing tonight is another to add to his resume, along with the likes of Kris Barras and Laurence Jones.
This cosy venue is about to get a tad warm as Sherlock and his band waste no time in crashing into their set bang at 7.30pm.
He has half an hour and just seven of his tracks to get through tonight as he heads into his first ‘Been Here Before’, taken from his ‘If You’re Listening’ album released in 2021. Peaking across the crowd from under his cowboy hat and shades, the riff he teases from his custom Les Paul 68, lays down some solid foundations straight from the start. The stage was dimly lit, just highlighting his features now and then, but you’re instantly drawn to the sound of that guitar and there’s nothing quite like it. And for those who’ve never heard of Ashley Sherlock, there’s plenty more hidden up his sleeves.
After a quick introduction to the rest of his band, Sherlock asked if anyone in the crowd liked country music; not that he took any notice as he was “gonna ****ing play it anyway”, much to everyone’s amusement.
‘Time’, taken from his debut album ‘Just a Name’, saw Sherlock changing the tone of his vocals, as this foot-tapping melody had everyone swaying in the room and admiring his versatility; his sound exuberant as the crowd nodded their heads and shut their eyes to soak up the atmosphere.
‘Dear Elizabeth’ was another from the album, about an ex-girlfriend and a situation we can all relate to. Not only did he sing with passion, but there was the first introduction to many of the guitar effects Sherlock had on his pedalboard; namely the ‘wah wah’, which worked flawlessly with the track’s feel. And of course, there’s a mini jam with Kay on bass which featured consistently in his set.
As his short but sweet was shortly coming to an end, his vocals remained crisp and clean as he launched into a riff on his Fender by Hendrix before transforming into his last track of the night ‘Fine by Me’.
Brandishing his mic, there was a bit of an issue on Sherlock’s pedalboard which he was desperate to resolve with minimal effort. Fortunately, the rest of the band were able to hold the fort in the meantime without being phased and it didn’t take long for him to catch them up before inviting everyone to take a CD home and meet him at the merch stand after the show. But what topped his set was the highest note known to man he unleashed straight from the bottom of his lungs into the crowd. He must have been saving that up all night!!! What a way to finish!!
Review & Photography: Emma Painter
A few musical gems were played over the PA whilst everyone gets another drink from the bar and chatted about the performance before headliners The Damn Truth were due to start as ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane begins to play, the band jumped on stage and quickly tuned up as vocalist Lee-la Baum sang along.
Dressed in 60’s attire and long curly locks, this Canadian outfit is well known for putting on an exhilarating and high-energy performance. With the Treehouse maxed out, the floorboards are going to take a beating tonight. With a monstrous set to get through, vocalist (and guitarist) Baum throws herself into the first track ‘This is Who We Are Now’ at full force, dressed in her knee-high cowboy boots, small black dress and tarnished stockings.
The band’s past has seen them mingling with ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons whilst opening their tour, sold out LA’s top music venues such as the Whiskey a Go Go, and had some of their music produced by none other than Bob Rock who’s also produced for Metallica and Bon Jovi. For a band that’s only been around in this last century, that’s pretty impressive.
“How good it is to see some familiar faces in here as well as some new ones”, Baum shouts in amongst the smouldering lyrics she hurls across the crowd with all her might. Not only are her vocals strong, but the range she omits fits beautifully with the bands chilled-out vibe.
But it’s not just Baum who raises the pulses of every man in the room with her splendour; guitarist Tom Shemer and bassist PY Letellier are equally athletic on stage as they make use of every square inch available by busting some miraculous and interesting moves whilst playing, which could only be described as the ‘Karma Sutra of Guitar Playing’.
And let’s not forget Dave Traina on the drums, who midway through the set gets his slot to perform a funky and fleeting solo, showing what he’s made of on those skins of his.
Knocking down the tempo, Baum invites guitarist (and partner) Shemer to centre stage to tell a little tale. He then tells a story about how he went to a hippy festival some years ago and was coaxed by the fact that there was going to be naked women there (and he had to go naked too!). He took his acoustic guitar and jammed for 8 hours with a lady (now Baum) and said to her “Hey, maybe we should start a band?” “Well look at us now” he laughed as the crowd joined in. So, it was a bit of a love story in the end. What a romantic tale to tell!!! Now it’s obvious where that chemistry comes from on stage!
For those who may have seen the band play at Planet Rockstock on the Bernie Marsden Stage, would have witnessed the very first marriage proposal live on stage during the band’s set. So, the track ‘Only Love’ from their ‘Now or Nowhere’ album that was played next, seemed rather fitting.
This was the first time that Shemer delved deep into the crowd to play a mesmerising guitar solo, much to everyone’s delight. They moved out of his way like parting seas as he swanned around the room and then back onto the stage.
The band continued playing a mix from all three of their albums as the crowd were then asked to join in with one of their later tracks ‘Devilish Folk’ as Baum started singing and playing guitar. “Can you hear me up here?” she said. The room came alive at this point as the band were stricken with crimson lights as the crowd sang along to one of the strongest tracks of the night.
Time was running out and the band showed no signs of wear at any time. Shemer grabbed Baum’s mic and stated that this was the last night of their tour, so it’s got to be a night to remember!! On reminiscing about the couple who got engaged during their set at Planet Rockstock which got the crowd cheering, he demanded that the crowd tonight raised the roof even higher with their screams as he counted them in.
And did they ever!! To the point that the 10 million decibels that was bouncing off the walls could split hairs! Never expected that from the crowd for a moment. Wow.
As the band approached the end of their set, Baum made it known that they’re not the kind of band who would play and disappear straight afterwards. They thought of their fans as family and wanted everyone to hang out with them and have a drink. And for those who’d not seen the band before, “welcome to the ****ing family” she screamed.
‘Tomorrow’, another track their ‘Now or Nowhere’ album ended the set list as she thanked everyone for coming tonight. But as bassist PY Letellier held up a bottle of Bombay Sapphire and wished everyone a merry Christmas, everyone knew what was coming next.
“Do you want some more?” shouted Baum. The answer to this is obvious as she was greeted with cheers and track suggestions before the band headed into their encore for the night.
Just like Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, Baum’s vocals shook as they haunted the room during the band’s rendition of ‘Love is Blindness’ by U2. An incredibly powerful cover which seemed to ignite that passion between her and guitarist Shemen once again, as they played their guitars as close together as the could momentarily.
‘Heart is Cold’, and another taken from their Devilish Folk album released in 2016, was last on the setlist. As Baum scrunched up her hair in a state of passion, the yearning guitar riffs joined her in this almighty tune. And to finish, all three of the band ended up on their knees almost winding down to finish as the heavy toms played by Traina led the song to its peak.
Speaking fondly of the like-minded people that come to see The Damn Truth play, Baum stated that she doesn’t drink on tour. But tonight, it was their last night and so she was going to drink after the show. “Come and hang out with us”, she said, and like a bat out of hell, the tempo rose and rose, as well as the volume!!
It was all over and everyone was ecstatic; band and crowd. What a magnificent, colourful, lively and mesmerising performance. But it was time to give those eardrums a bit of a rest before heading back to work tomorrow.
A sold-out night for a Sunday in Frome town is an incredible achievement and many seemed to wonder why such great acts are put on in one of the towns smallest venues. Why not the legendary Cheese & Grain, where Sir Paul McCartney and the Foo Fighters warmed up prior to headlining Glastonbury? Well, the answer is, for these guys playing tonight, size isn’t important. Ain’t that THE DAMN TRUTH!
Setlist
The is Who We are Now
Full On You
Love Outta Luck
Lonely
Only Love
Look Innocent
The Willow
Devilish Folk
I Just Gotta Let You Know
Get With You
Tomorrow
Encore
Love is Blindness (U2 cover)
Heart is Cold
https://linktr.ee/thedamntruth
Review & Photography: Emma Painter
