Stone Foundation are an eight piece Midland’s soul band who incorporate a British mod sensibility and are known for their energetic fusion of classic soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues, woven with socially conscious lyrics. Their latest album `The Revival Of Survival` was delivered to the wider world in March and for me, it was a stunner!!
This afternoon`s special matinee show is a European warm up gig on a lazy Sunday Bank holiday. Occasionally you`ll hear an album that really gels with you and you can`t wait to see the band or artist play it live and I have to admit this was just the case with Stone Foundation`s `The Revival of Survival`.
This octet take to the stage as `How Many Times` is played through the pa system and the band join with a gentle haunting saxophone before gremlins bring a halt to the show. After a change of amp and some technical amendments we are underway and head into the title track of the latest opus with `The Revival of Survival` an uplifting offering that is perfect for this easy going laid back afternoon and as the lyrics says really `Lights up the World” or mine at least. It`s back a few years for a couple of dreamy numbers with `Freedom Starts!` and `The Light In Us` before we return to the latest release for the chilled out `Fix You Up` which really set me off into thoughts of my own.
The funky `B What You R` triggers even more “out there” dancing and `The Limit of A Man` brought to mind The Style Council, a band I have to say I grew to love but felt had split the Jam up in the naivety of my early twenties. `Close To Where You Are` is one of my favourite tracks off the new release and is just as sweet live as on record before Neil Jones shares that Jean Patrick Bimenyimana Serukamba, the Prince of Burundi will join the band at Shepherd`s Bush Empire at the end of November with a couple of the female singers who also made contributions on the latest release as the guys head into the rhythmic `Cut Me Loose`.
The diversity of `The Revival Of Survival` is brought home with the Prince tinged funky `2 Die 4 U` and `Summer Song` which is much more reflective and thoughtful. It may have been `Deeper Love` which had Paul Weller on the released version which the band lovingly dedicated to their friend and manager Nigel Templeman who passed away recently. The feel good `Reach Out` and brass tinged `Now That You want Me Back` lead us out of this afternoon’s performance.
The band are encouraged to return for an encore and do so with `Everything & All I Want` a number that just oozes `COOOOOOL` and is at the very least a delightful foot tapper, `When Worlds Collide` with its intricate angular recurring riff and `Next Time Around` a final slice of blue-eyed soul and that`s it.
This was my initiation into a Stone Foundation live experience and there seemed to be a really strong almost tangible mutual appreciation and love from the audience and the band who were musically so tight with Neil Jones, Neil Sheasby, Dominic Carr, Ian Arnold, Anthony Gaylard, Steve Trigg, Dave Boraston and Mick Talbot.
Indeed the fellas came straight out and spent time signing autographs and having selfies with the faithful.
The band hit the road in support of the latest album release for a dozen dates around the UK in October and November and if you want to ensure you’re there I’d suggest grabbing a ticket as soon as possible for what will be on the evidence of this afternoon, a scorching show.
As I said in my review of `The Revival Of Survival` if this band wasn`t from the Midlands but Detroit or Philadelphia they would be Megastars. Catch them before they are.
