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While it’s true to say that any band’s commercial success or durability is often tied in with the vacillations of the musical market place, there’s no denying the qualities of real song craft.
And tonight’s appearance by Leicester’s Diesel Park West at a cosy South London venue proved to be a potent reminder of the observational and melodic abilities of the band’s mainstay John C. Butler (as he is now known), and his startling uncompromised vocal range.
But first, a brief Q & A session with journo/broadcaster Paul Sexton who is also responsible for the consistently high programming values of Sutton’s Sound Lounge venue.
It provides the perfect context for a band with a catalogue of songs who have long deserved more than the pop world ever delivered.
And while the stories regarding their label, Blur & even the Stones almost settle on the same sort of regret that infuses ‘Jackie’s Still Sad’ – one of the later evening career highlights – the fact that the band open with material from their excellent 2019 American release ‘Let It Melt’ album, suggests there’s still plenty of creativity in the tank.
There’s still the familiar big anthemic sound, jangling guitars and a whiff of psychedelia, while at his most angst ridden, Butler’s vocal evokes the grit of Dylan, and on moments of real fisson he recalls Lennon.
And DPW is still very much a band, with versatile guitarist Rich Barton adding a Roger McGuinn style jangle and Keith Richard influenced beefy riffs, all glued together by his own wide ranging tonal array.
Both he and bassist Darryl Hopper add subtle bv’s when called on, while drummer Dave Bryant locks together the ebbs of flows of a set list which builds by degrees.
And there centrestage, is the southpaw guitarist and and animated vocalist Butler who contorts his wiry frame to where the lyrics take him
They open with unfettered energy of ‘Let It Melt’ and the suitable bombast of ‘Bomb’s Away’, before things turn spiky on ‘Living In The UK’, though it’s tempered by a call to sort things out.
The enduring ‘Fall To Love’ from the ’91 ‘Decency’ album still resonates, while the rapture of the new ‘Wonder (Just A Word)’ reverts to their Byrds 6 string sound.
Butler wryly tells us the country infused offering has brought them recent unexpected success on the Hertitage chart.
They stick with the sensory country vibe on The Wound That Doesn’t Heal’, an impressive outing from the new ‘Presley Trap’ album.
And as if to tap into the reciprocal energy between the band and their crowd, they segue straight into ‘Out of Nowhere’, on a perfect example of prosody on the ethereal uplifting refrain ‘In Another World’.
They rock hard mid-70’s Stones style on ‘Everybody’s Going Nuts’, while the enveloping ‘All The Myths On Sunday’ sweeps all in it its way to provide the pivotal moment of the night.
And as we head towards the big hitters from ‘Shakespeare Alabama’ I quietly think, how could a band with these songs miss out on the grand prize?
Perhaps the answer lies in the sing-along section of ‘Here I Stand’ and the anthemic ‘Bell of Hope’.
The latter is given a Victor Hugo dedication and every member of the audience sings along with the kind of gusto that Bono used encourage from a U2 crowd.
A case of being beaten to the post by a whisker perhaps?
No matter, all these years later DPW are still full of vitality and a front man who leads the band into the rapturous ‘Like Princes Do’ and the climactic Stones influenced ‘When The Hoodoo Comes’, on which Rich Barton adds subtle slide colourations.
There’s still time for a wry dig at Oasis, before the band launch into the Stonesy chimes of ‘The Waking Hour’, as part of 2 encores, on which the indefatigable Butler really looks like he’s enjoying himself.
After all this time, who could ask for more?
Review & pics Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 27 Ocrober
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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 8 September 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 10 September 2024.
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Power Plays w/c 30 September 2024
AVALON STONE Cliffhanger (indie)
LEILANI KILGORE Trouble In My Bones (indie)
SKAM Rising Fever (indie)
INTERLAKER Carving Circles (Hassle Records)
DEFENCES Shadowlight (Long Branch Records)
ENMY On The Edge (FiXT)
TEXAS HIPPIE COALITIONBones Jones (Napalm Records)
Featured Albums w/c 30 September 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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