Music / soul
Review: Durand Jones & the Indications, Thekla
Hands up everyone who’s rolled their eyes when your reviewer blathers on about arriving early to catch the support band? Hands up everyone who’s familiar with the expression “Hoist by your own petard”? Yep, a failure to check the set times and doors meant that your reviewer was at the back of a packed room for the last two songs of the set. It was evident The Dip had more than delivered because the whole crowd was grooving and singing along with lust and vigour.
The seven-piece had clearly been cooking up a righteous stew of bluesy funk, with a light, jazzy touch and a large nod to big band swing. They brought that stew to the boil with the last two songs, and final cut Sure Don’t Miss You saw band and crowd lift the roof (sorry, upper deck) with a raucous singalong. Hopefully they will return soon because if those two songs were indicative of their prowess, they’re gonna destroy every single night.
is needed now More than ever
Mr. Jones stated early on that the audience was in for a “soultastic” night and he wasn’t lying. Durand Jones & the Indications thrilled the crowd with a set that was certainly soultastic, but was also funktastic, and rhythmandbluestastic. And the songs were uniformly earwormtastic. blah.
Whilst Jones has his name upfront, the Indications certainly weren’t just there to play the tunes for him. They didn’t just ‘phone it in ether. They played the hell out of the tunes, tight as a nun’s chuff and swapping from gutbucket driving soul to Philly grooves (light as a breeze) and back again with consummate ease. They nailed the ballads and whipped up a dance frenzy on the up-tempo numbers. They were clearly having fun too.
And again, whilst Jones has his name upfront, drummer Aaron Frazer managed to be a co-front man from behind his kit. Yeah, he owned the rhythm, but he also sang co-lead with Jones on a load of tunes, introduced songs, bantered with the crowd (raising plenty of laughs) and fronted a chunk of the show. This was a lovely amicable arrangement too, no egos in play, just a band with a double vocal threat. Oh, and he sent shivers through the room with his delightful lead on Is it Any Wonder.
The band were determined to pack in the songs (nineteen played) but they weren’t rushing the set: snappy tunes mixed with longer jams as the set ebbed and flowed. A judicious sprinkling of covers added plenty of spice. Ever wondered what Apache might have sounded like if it had been conjured up in Muscle Shoals? The Indications answered that question: fun and funky. Final, final encore I Shall Be Released (featuring Tom Eddy out of The Dip) was faithful and graceful, full of power, uplifting and a marvellous climax. Mayfield’s Hell Below was a nod to an obvious inspiration but alas, the vocals just a shade too quiet. A snippet of Son of Shaft was wah-wahtastic too.
The band’s own material was delightfully played: intricate rhythms and fabulous interlocking interplay for the musos, but catchy choruses by the yard for the singers and hip pushing, ass swivelling beats for the dancers. Oh, and ballads for the lovers – Can’t Keep My Cool – arguably the standout vocal from Jones himself, the band sultry, Jones on his knees, wracked with emotion. Meanwhile anyone exhausted by the shit-shower that is our current political predicament surely went home soothed and rejuvenated by a glorious Long Way Home. Bookmark the video and play once a day.
Mentioning shit-showers, hat’s off to the band for preaching some love and tolerance as the world races headlong into hatred and intolerance. Sea Gets Hotter was not only driven by a fantastic Santanatastic groove but was probably the best co-vocal of the night. Morning in America was on point too and really, really conjured up the mighty Gil Scott-Heron, climaxing with a killer guitar solo.
It’s fabulous that the world of pop and rock is full of artists pushing boundaries, mashing up styles and twisting the past seventy decades of genre topes into wonderful weirdness. But it’s also fabulous that there are bands taking established sounds and refreshing them to the delight of old gits that remember the originals and young ‘uns discovering the classic sounds for the first time. Durand Jones & the Indications distilled decades of soul, funk, disco & R’n’B into a thrilling, life affirming dance party. Miss them at your peril when they come back.
Durand Jones & the Indications: Thekla: Tuesday, 22 October 2019
All pix by Phil Watson
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