Review: Pokey LaFarge, The Fleece – ‘A ringmaster for the greatest circus in town’

Talk about a gathering of the tribes. There are Rockabilly quiffs mixing with dreads, polka dot dresses with biker boots, Motorhead tee shirts with old fellas in anoraks.

This is eclectic stuff, but why are this lot in the same room at the same time? Simple. They are all here to worship at the altar of Pokey LaFarge and the power of truly great music. They are here to testify.

Pokey LaFarge, real name Andrew Heissler, is from Illinois. He’s a singer, songwriter, poet, actor and the most dapper gent in the whole place with his perfect quiff and a cream-coloured suit.

Having released seven solo albums, toured with Jack White and put out records on Third Man, he’s a man that knows a thing or two about whipping up a capacity crowd to fever pitch. Not that they took much whipping.

They were singing as soon as the chorus of the opening number, Get It ‘Fore it’s Gone, hit. A sweet, sweet slice of honky tonk, the crowd adding the requisite Country oo-oos.

From there LaFarge leads us on a sweaty trip around the tastiest, swampiest bits of Americana. From western Swing to New Orleans jazz, from dirty rhythm and blues to late night crooning.

A ringmaster for the greatest circus in town.

Fine To Me is a cool rocker of the very highest order, it pulses with early rock n roll energy and drips with some of the finest keys that you’ll ever hear.

Hank Mehren is some sort of organ toting superstar, he’s Professor Longhair, he’s Fats Domino, he brings a flavour of New Orleans and it is delicious.

There’s the tiniest bit of church-y organ at the start of End of My Rope but that’s, pretty soon, enveloped by a Country stew of double bass and a smokin’ guitar solos. LaFarge and his rocking four-piece are absolutely on fire and the quiffs have melted.

Both Rotterdam and To Love or Be Alone swing with a Mexicali sway. They are the sort of tunes that you imagine being played on those Border Blaster radio stations somewhere in the late 40’s/early 50s.

Guitarist, Eric Miron, breaks out the trumpet for To Love… as couples slow dance in very little space and imaginary castanets are clacked in the darker corners of The Fleece. This might be throw-back stuff but it’s vital, damn exciting and packs a serious punch.

If LaFarge were some sort of bare-knuckled carny boxer the next three would be knockout blows. Wanna Be Your Man brings some sleaze to the New Orleans R&B whilst Something in the Water just swings like crazy, it swings like a saloon door on “Free Beer Friday”.

This is music for dancing feet. Central Time is another upbeat rocker, deeper, wider and filthier than the great Mississippi River. Three massive crowd-pleasing favourites and by now we’re reeling.

Then something changes. Lucky Sometimes is a slow southern waltz, the stage bathed in a blue light as LaFarge croons his heart out. The change in pace heralds a guest star, a second vocalist, the subject of Lucky Sometimes.

Addie Hamilton is a goofy-dancing flapper, a gangster’s moll, a Rockabilly Kween. She is, almost certainly, the kinda girl that your Mama warned you about.

From here on in it’s the Pokey and Addie show, vocals shared, synchronised duck walks practiced, serious sass added to a show that was already seriously sassy.

Bluebird and The Devil Ain’t Lazy are whooping and hollering Rockabilly monsters. Both voices working in harmony, bringing the rapture, swinging hard.

La La Blues is a joyful contradiction and Killing Time adds the merest smidge of doo-wop. On Long for the Heaven I Seek, from the latest album In the Blossom of Their Shade, Hamilton takes the lead.

Her voice suffused with torch-singer jazz, she slowly smoulders, hers is the next-day confession after a night of sin.

The final tune of the night, Goodnight, Goodbye (Hope Not Forever), is a celebration of the time that we’ve spent together. It’s jazz-tinged and languorous, it’s the sound of a party that you don’t want to leave.

It says “I know the last few years have been rubbish, but it’s going to be ok”. It’s going to be OK because all of us – rockers and dreads alike – can get together for things like this.

Main photo: Gavin McNamara

Read next:

• Review: Kassi Valazzi, The Louisiana – ‘She scatters sunlight across the stage’
• Review: Caitlin Rose, The Fleece – ‘Fantastic pop-tinged country’
• Review: Harbottle & Jonas, Downend Folk & Roots – ‘Americana-tinged and filled with yearning’

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: