A good bill at The Garage this Saturday night. First on is The Kut. At first 'The Kut' appears to be the name of the band, but actually it is the stage name of Princess Maha the singer and lead guitarist - although effectively we are watching a full band with a regular lineup.
Punk rock is the major inspiration here, but this isn't really a punk band and Princess Maha is actually a very accomplished guitarist who can get up there and shred the shit out of her instrument. And she does.
This is out and out ROCK, but there is also some strong songwriting on offer here. It's entertaining and the emphasis is is definitely on fun.
This is obviously someone who absolutely
loves getting on stage and letting rip blasting out some tuneful but loud music!
And then it's on to the headliners and the big rock show. Except that with
Danko Jones the emphasis
isn't on a big stage production, costumes, and fancy lighting - it's on the
performance. And with this band (also named after their singer/guitarist) the performance is
everything!
This act always put on a powerful live show and the band's frontman has a lot too say - sometimes
too much which is what I felt last time I saw them. I know it's part of Danko's 'in-your-face' stage persona, but more talk =
less music! Fortunately tonight there
is more music. Bass player John Calabrese is a key member of the band as although he doesn't sing his playing really glues everything together - and the song '
Lovercall' starts with
that bassline!
To be honest I think the band's debut full album 'Born A Lion' is their best with it's wider variety of songs, but still very much blues and hard rock fueled - AC/DC are certainly an influence. Before they had reached album number 6 (and counting) they seemed to have settled into a very generic Danko Jones style with all the newer songs seeming to conform to the same template - it was all getting rather 'Danko Jones by numbers' and I was starting to lose interest. The live shows are still good, but I feel that like other once great live bands of their generation like Backyard Babies and Supersuckers they have run out of inspiration. Bands still worth going to see even if they have lost their earlier edge and excitement, but I feel less need to buy their CDs these days...
Judging by the packed venue tonight I'm sure many would disagree with my comments above. I did enjoy the show though - more so that the last time I saw Danko Jones. Sorry Rush fans, but as far as I'm concerned this is still Canada's best power trio!
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