Venue:
Oslo, Hackney, London.
Date: 27/08/2015
I don’t think I have ever missed a London gig by L.A’s Dawes – I’m even going to their support slot for My Morning Jacket in a couple of weeks – but this was my first time at this venue. Stunning. Great bar and restaurant downstairs, decent sized room upstairs, with fantastic sound. I met @nogbad, who is wonderful company, for a pre-gig beer before we made our way upstairs.
With a new album out, the setlist was obviously skewed towards All Your Favourite Bands – no bad thing, as I think it is their best yet. I Can’t Think About That Now, Right On Time then If I Wanted Someone (from Nothing Is Wrong) and we were off to the races. The sound of the band is fuller than before, with the addition of touring guitarist Duane Betts (son of Dickey, so almost rock royalty.) This has freed Taylor Goldsmith up, so that he doesn’t feel like he’s almost carrying the sound, and he looks more relaxed for it. The older songs still sound fresh. They even went back as far as That Western Skyline from the first album, North Hills. A beautiful song. Then, halfway through the set, Taylor announced the next song thus:
“We’ve been doing this song all summer, in the States. Nothing. We think you guys will get it.”
They then launched into a ferocious cover of Mike Scott’s Fisherman’s Blues, with the crowd yelling out the whoops, and Taylor stepping back from the mic, grinning like a little kid. He said they wouldn’t bother going off for an encore, so they could fit in an extra song. The final 5 songs were a blistering rock through their Greatest Hits ( when it happens.)
Time Spent In Los Angeles
A Little Bit Of Everything
When My Time Comes
From The Right Angle
All My Favourite Bands
When the audience yelled out the chorus to the last (and newest) song, Taylor seemed genuinely taken aback that the song had resonated so quickly. My lungs hurt, my feet hurt and I was sweating like a pig but, jeez this band make me so happy.
The audience:
I HATE standing gigs. Any etiquette goes out the window. Phones, cameras, PEOPLE STANDING IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I HAVE MOVED BACK TO LET THEM PAST.
Calm.
It made me think..
I have seen my 2 favourite bands in the world, here in London, in the space of two weeks. And they could not be further from each other, in terms of the musical spectrum. Big Big Train with their proggy, 15 minute, harmony-filled songs about miners, trains and kings. And Dawes, all sunny Americana, alt-Country, Jackson Browne type songs about relationships, the road and growing older. Two gigs I will remember for a very, very long time.
niallb says
Not my photo, by the way, but it was from last night. What a hypocrite I am, criticising the use of cameras, and then posting someone’s photo from the gig.
🙂
poolhallrichard says
Thanks @niallb. It’s really whetted my appetite for End of The Road next week.
Baron Harkonnen says
Missed Dawes this time around, on holiday. They truly are a magnificent band and “Fisherman’s Blues” my favourite song of my life so far. I am envious niall.
the californian says
Dawes about to appear at Shrewsbury festival being streamed live now
RedLemon says
i too am very much looking forward to them at EOTR. they were really good there a couple of years back.
retropath2 says
Newsbury from Shrewsbury……..
Fucking hell, they were brilliant. Best gig of day, week, month, year, decade etc etc etc. Really! OK, I have the records and they are a decent channeling of early Jackson Browne with volume up to 11. But this was something else. I was weeping with joy, feeling I was about 20 years old, as were the greybeards and baldies about me. God knows what the band thought of their new demographic, but it was a rapturous reception. So the guy with Betts on his guitar strap actually was one!! He could play, as did the Nils Logfren-a-like frontman, with consummate Laurel Canyon vocals. Majestic keys, especially the hammond, from the slightly more wasted and more homeless looking Harry Dean Stanton-a-like. Add the original bassist from Tull and a Don Henley, the bearded years, on drums and it was heavenly. The tent was aloft with pleasure, despite the connection between this music and folk being, at best, subliminal. OK, so they did, as Niall recounts, Waterboys Blues, but not so you’d know it, unless you do, and this audience did, the woo-hoo-hoooooos in the audience brilliantly complementing their absence from the stage.
The Oysters and RT are going to have to be at the top of their game for tonight and tomorrow.
http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q678/Xuxi58/CIMG2018_zps1gsrgfhl.jpg
nogbad says
A top notch night out with Mr B.
The set was fabulous and as an old codger, I was astonished at the number of young folk who knew every word of every song and hollered along with gusto.
I then spent the next night just up the road from the gig at Streetfeast Dalston,hoovering up tacos, lobster mac and cheese and eye-wateringly pricey beer.
The soundtrack was Real Estate, Avi Buffalo, Courtney Barnett and Dawes.No complaints…..
VincePacket says
Hey Niall, missed you at the gig all though I did keep an eye out for you.
It was brilliant wasn’t it. That’s my fifth time with them and I love them more with each passing visit.
Special shout out to @skylarkingmatt for passing on his unused ticket. I missed the window to buy them and so this was an unexpected and last minute pleasure.
Oslo in Hackney is a great venue too.
Junior Wells says
Great review
Band that have completely passed me by….. Heads to Spotify
niallb says
Damn, @vincepacket, if I’d know you were having @skylarkingmatt‘s ticket I’d have got in touch. Would have been good to catch up – almost a mini-Mingle, with @nogbad as well!
Happy Harry says
Hint taken – have highlighted them in my clash-finder for EOTR
Giggles says
Did they not play Most People? That’s one of my favourite songs of the last few years.
Matthew Best says
I wonder if this video link will work?
https://video-bru2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xlp1/v/t42.1790-2/11942618_10153542931018718_1725826839_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjkxNCwicmxhIjo1Nzh9&rl=914&vabr=508&oh=c01d2cf72cc2ab74791e2fa8b959e547&oe=55E997C5
Matthew Best says
Looks like it doesn’t. I’ll try to find another way of posting it.
Matthew Best says