Nearly a month ago now I reviewed an EP called Break The Surface which just happens to
be the latest project from Birmingham based The Delta Rhythm. In this review I
basically spent nearly 700 words going ‘You know what this record is bloody
amazing go out and get it.’ So obviously when the chance came for me to go and
see them live this was an opportunity I was not going to miss. My expectations
for this gig were extremely high due to the quality of the EP, plus I was
looking forward to hearing how the recordings translated into a live
performance. So with all that in mind I made my way down to The Court House in
Dudley last night for what promised to be a great night.
One of the things that I always look for when I go and see a
band after hearing a recording is how the vocal stacks up live compared to how
it sounds on the record. After all there is so much magic that can be performed
in a studio these days any vocal frailties can be filtered out so ‘live’ is
still the acid test. Within 20 seconds of opener ‘Can See You’ all of those
questions were answered as not only the vocal but the band as a whole started
with gloriously rocky intent.
‘Come Out To Play’ is a far more bass driven affair, with a
thick intro laying the foundations for the rest of the track. It also gives Sami Cornick a chance to display the full range of her vocal talents, which she does
in impressive fashion. The track and the set as a whole has been rockier than I
was expecting and is a bit of a departure from the EP but this sound definitely
suits the band down to the ground.
Up next was the first track to be taken from the EP, the
brilliantly old school and melodic ‘Singing The Blues.’ The highest praise I
can give is that the track sounds exactly as it did on the record, with the
band perfectly in tune with one another, everything is totally on point. They
are obviously very well drilled and well prepared and you can really see the
results of this hard work shining through.
‘Fall’ was the first track that the band wrote as a group,
and falls somewhere between Oasis and something from The Stooges. (That’s one
hell of a place to fall!) Like all of the best Oasis tracks it has a great
chorus and a sing-along quality, while the gravely tones of the bass and guitar
give the track a Stooges style edge. For the next song the band went right to
the other end of their spectrum as ‘Won’t Be Saved’ is the most recent song
that the band have put together. There are echoes of Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive’ as the
track slowly grinds into life. This is probably the heaviest track of the
entire set and it will be interesting to see whether this is a one off or a new
heavier more rocky direction for the band.
I was already enjoying the set immensely but when the
opening chords of ‘Better Things’ my smile grew even wider. This track is my
favourite from the EP and it didn’t disappoint. Keyboards were introduced for
the first time on the night and added to proceedings brilliantly. This track is
more of a ballad and by positioning it here the set has a brilliant ebb and
flow, full of gentle ups and downs. Personally this was probably my highlight
of the night and the reaction from the enthusiastic audience showed that I
wasn’t alone.
Penultimate track ‘No One’s Home’ saw the tempo increase
once again but the keyboards remained. I
know I keep going on about the keyboards but with some bands it just feels like
they are crowbarred in simply because someone can play, but here they serve a
real purpose and are a nice addition.
Final track ‘Ticking Bomb’ sounded heavier than it did on
the EP but still sounded fantastic. Part way through pretty much everything
dropped away leaving the drums to build the track up once more which definitely
added something. The guitar work from Gregg Freeman was also a highlight.
A few days ago it was announced that bassist Ben Adams would be
leaving the group after this gig and all night it felt like the rest of the
band were determined to make sure that he went out with a bang. The band looked
totally at ease for the whole time that they were on stage, everything seemed
to come really naturally and they made an incredibly impressive performance
look very easy.
The band flipped from rock to blues touching all the bases
in-between with consummate ease, turning in an incredibly enjoyable and
professional performance. They simply didn’t put a foot wrong all night. A new
bassist will be on the cards and who knows how that will affect the band
dynamic and their sound as a whole, but what’s for certain is that if this
performance is anything to go by they have laid the foundations for something
very very special.
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