I saw The Commoners twice last year, but in the summer, they headlined Wolverhampton. That night, I wrote in the conclusion: “The Commoners, quite simply, are as good as rock ‘n’ roll gets.”
If you’re not on board yet, the breezy rock ‘n’ roll of “Shake You Off” is enough to convince you of their incredible ability. And so what if you hear The Black Crowes in there? You think The Commoners are shocked?
The fact is, as good as The Crowes are, you’d best believe they’d love this one.
And the words of singer Chris Medhurst—right after “We’re The Commoners from Toronto, Canada, we’re gonna have some fun tonight”—are writ large as the opening solo of “The Way I Am” hits. The groove, the class, the everything.
One of the singles, “Who Are You”, struts, and you can’t resist it.
And you’d be doing well to skip past any of them, frankly. It’s not that there’s anything particularly “new” about “Gone Without Warning” and the rest. Bluesy rock ‘n’ roll drenched in organ has been around as long as men and women have played riffs, but you’ll have rarely heard it done as well as this.
Before “Restless”, they talk about how much the music means to them—and it shines through. This is a band that does this because they utterly need to. Equally adept at the acoustic ones, “See You Again” is the “She Talks to Angels” moment, if you like, but it’s rooted in home and family. It’s poignant, and the pair work well together.
Then, with a simple “Y’all ready for some rock ‘n’ roll music?”, the gear switches and a brilliant version of “Devil Teasin’ Me” happens. Twin guitar to make the Allman Brothers blush? More energy than a three-year-old on a Skittles high—it’s simply marvellous.
As is “Fill My Cup”, which builds majestically. It speaks to the stoicism that keeps them on the road, as well as the skill that keeps them there, especially in the closing solo.
The show finishes—as mine had—with “Find a Better Way”. And if there is, The Commoners have found it. My God, this is a Canadian band so good that Trump is probably trying to find a way to pretend they’re from America.
Never mind the fact I saw them in KK’s small room—there’s a parallel universe where The Commoners are the biggest band in the world. Close your eyes, and it’s right here on “Live in the UK”.
Rating: 9.5/10
