Peter Bruntnell, The Whybirds and Jim Jones – Ent Shed , Bedford – 14th March 2009
| Review by Keith HargreavesÂ
£10. It doesn’t sound much and especially these days with the talk of billions lost and millions swindled it sounds like even less, but for just £10 a man could walk into a packed auditorium and catch three great live sets courtesy of those wonderful folks at East-West promotions. Surely they should be a charity? A packed hall with standing room only ( and that was tight) saw Jim Jones take to the stage and silence any chit chat with his emotive confessionals and keening ballads. A troubadour in the real sense – just guitar, lyrics and voice. And what a voice, with more than hint of Bruce by way of Taunton rather than New Jersey. The songs came mainly from his new album ‘Daylight and Stars’ and each one was clearly defined did not pale into a general soup which is often the case with a new singer/songwriter introducing new material. It was the quality of the songs and the added splashes of colour provided by Dave Little that lifted this set well above the run of the mill. £10’s worth already – easily!Â
Next up ‘The Whybirds’ – unknown to this correspondent but not from now on. They blasted into their set with a two song segue that dropped many a jaw. Here were four men plainly in love with 1973, beards from The Joy of Sex, four part harmonies and ‘twin axe attack’. Skynyrd meets The Faces meets Steve Miller and Bob Seger in East Anglia. And the songs…. The songs were complex West coast and Little Feat all sung by different members at different times. They took the roof off the Shed and looked good for another hour. These boys have the songs and musical chops to be very big, if the Kings of Leon can fill stadiums then so can The Whybirds. £10 – can you believe it??! And so can Peter Bruntnell, I’m not sure he’d want to though. The headliner was indeed that. A taut and complex meal mainly taken from the Murder of Crows album the evening built into a surprisingly emotional affair as the material opened up to reveal its heart and the depth of the song writing talent on display. Danny Williams on Double bass was the only rhythm section – a dark solid backbone, Dave Little on harmonium and guitars an excellent foil for the shapes made by PB’s guitar. The Shed was enthralled for over an hour by this most mercurial of talents. Thank you East West . A stunning night. |
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