The Pablos / Micky P Kerr / The Bazaars @ The Brudenell Social Club

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The Pablos’ songs (and haircuts), recently applauded by Lauren Laverne (and let’s face it what more could you want from a band), lived up to all expectations last Friday at the Brudenell.  The Leeds based group braced the stage with a swaggering presence that lit up their retro-edgy set and complimented their biting sixties rock and blues fusion. Within the first few twanging guitar riffs of ‘Lose Control’ the audience were hooked. Lead vocalist, Mitch, entranced every female (and admittedly male) with his rough and rippling The Kinks-like voice, echoing “Ooooh Baby” in  a way that would make any not so normal person want to rip off his shirt and cover him in whipped cream, or so they say. The Pablos ran with the set like a trolley in Supermarket Sweep, hurling in up-beat and toe tapping rhythms with raw lyrics and pulsating guitar solos. ‘Those Eyes’ fronted by lead guitarist Andy Steingold, (the not-so-hidden-talent of the band with his flamboyant mustard guitar), added a rusty blues undertone with a harmonica as notes sashayed through the room, melting and colliding with one another. The finale, ‘The Preacher,’ left the band in a sinless perfection of melody with Mitch’s deep and evocative voice easing through the song... or at least until he unleashed a fiery guitar strumming fury. Signed, sealed, delivered; a good set all around.

 

 

Mid-drink and post-Pablo the crowd continued to buzz as a tall bloke stumbled on stage that could possibly have been mistaken for a sound-tech guy. Pint in hand, he stands almost too comfortably behind the microphone. “I’m Tired...and a sexist” he admits to the audience. Perhaps not the best way that Micky P. Kerr could have introduced his set, nevertheless he continues unfazed into his first poem ‘Stupid Women’. Admittedly it takes the crowd a while to realise what actually is going on, as he speaks quietly and doesn’t hold much stage presence. Eventually though the majority of the audience has sussed what he is about: sharp, close-to-the-bone and tragically too close to real life rambles of poetry and comedy. His lyrics echo a recognisable Leeds; “Bin man, bin man, where you bin man?” referring to the all too familiar bin strikes. Soon a guitar emerges and Micky shows his other another side- a folksy and melancholic musician. In his best song ‘Susan May’ Micky calmly conquers high notes in this soft and well carried, down-to-earth/ tell-it-as-it-is love song. Just imagine a James Blunt that you don’t want to punch. Micky’s set was a potential chuckle and a softer turn to the night but overall it lacked a bit of energy, after all... he was tired.

 

As the four-piece The Bazaars took the stage, the band fed into this anticipation with a tasty sizzle of the symbols before opening into ‘Spiritual Influences’, mastered by a solid pounding of the drums by ex-Blueskins drummer Paul Brown. The band’s vocals flowed naturally, sounding cool, soft and echoic, conjuring ideas of Ian Brown’s atmospheric husk. With the dull red spotlight on The Bazaars ‘Girls in Time’ was a heart-felt performance, its delivery with closed eyes singing of “kiss kiss kiss these broken lips” provided a melt-like-butter mellow indie. Whilst ‘L’attenion’ showed more the broody charisma of the band as Dire Straits’ like guitar work erupted from its mist. A good night all in all though I might say that the best trick - The Pablos - might have been pulled out of the hat too early.

 

Eleanor Brown

Tags: The Pablos Micky P Kerr The Bazzars The Brudenell Social Club Live Review