I had the feeling that I’d seen all three bands before but couldn`t find any evidence for this belief but regardless this was on paper a cracking triple bill of similar gendered groups.
First up was London based Desert rockers The Howlers whose lyrics are about working-class life and mental health struggles. They released their debut album `What You’ve Got To Lose To Win It All` last year and although I was expecting a trio, the band seen to be a duo of drum and guitar/vocals. There`s little fuss as the guys head straight into the brooding `Night Crawling` a single from earlier this year about The thrill of pursuing something you know is bad for you. The reflective `Lady Luck`, racing `On The Run (Over You)` and meditative `Further Down The Line` all from the debut album follow. Recent single `You Can Be So Cruel` is a sultry anti love letter before the duo close out with three more cuts from their debut album with `How Long`, `Nothing To Lose` before Adam and Tom leave us with a rousing ode to life in `El Dorado`. A new album is promised for next year so things look bright for this pair.
The Duke Spirit combine elements of alternative rock, blues and indie but this quartet certainly knows how to rock out and for forty five minutes this evening they certainly did. They recently toured their `Cuts Across The Land` debut album from twenty years ago and were last in Birmingham in September. Tonight there were a few tracks shared off this and others that I must admit were unfamiliar to me. Charismatic singer Leila Moss takes command of this band and it`s her seductive and at times raw vocal range along with an energetic and intense stage presence that really shines through tonight. The set was at times hypnotic, sultry where numbers ranged from retro sixties tinged, slow burners to scorching shred outs. As they’ve played Brum a couple of times this year it may be a while before they return so I was really relieved I made the effort to catch them.
Band of Skulls embark on this headline run in support of `Cold Fame`, a limited-edition, career-spanning box-set celebrating the band’s first fifteen years, curated by frontman Russell Marsden from his personal archives, featuring their first three albums plus B-sides, rarities, unreleased material, and a deluxe coffee table book with unseen photos and interviews. Although these days Band of Skulls is essentially the project of singer and guitarist Russell Martin, they tour as a quartet.
The lights dim and the band open with the sultry `Sweet Sour` with all and sundry singing along before heading into the wonderfully titled `You`re Not Pretty But You Got It Goin` On` and the delightfully enticing and alluring `Love Is All You Love`. The brand new `Rip It Up Again` is blistering before the pace slows a touch with `Friends`, `Bruises` and charmingly rhythmic `Himalayan`.
The bluesy riff driven `The Devil Takes Care of His Own` begins but suddenly it halts as Russell notices a
That an audience member has collapsed. The medical staff arrive and the invalided person is brought round and is helped out of the venue to relived applause, a case of The Band of Skulls take care of their own. The song is restarted a couple of times as singer Russell seems genuinely unnerved by the recent incident. The show goes on with a new number in `Bitter Dream` which features Iona Kohler Alven`s seductive vocals.
The home stretch includes the intensely anthemic `Fires`, rhythmic `I Know What I Am`, new track `Holy Water` which had a kind of call and response cadence about it, the Hendrix tinged bluesy `Light Of The Morning` before leaving us with the almost hesitant `Death By Diamonds and Pearls`.
The band are encouraged to return and they do so with the charmingly intricate and contemplative `Cold Fame` before sending this intimate, passionate and at times frenzied audience home with the driving `Asleep At The Wheel`. This was the bands penultimate gig of the year and what a scorching one hundred odd minutes we enjoyed this evening with gritty guitar riffs and hypnotic harmonies. There was an almost controlled aggression or energy about it that exuded from Russell Marsden as he commanded this frantic audience.
There`s a new album due in February i`m led to believe so hopefully some more classics and further live shows in which to blow us all away again.
