12/12/2008 Dead Monroe, Cherry Brakewells & Sabatta @ the Rhythm Factory

Subject	Dead Monroe, Cherry Brakewells & Sabatta @ the Rhythm Factory
PostedDate	12/12/2008
	I'm at the Rhythm Factory to see two bands I've seen there before, but probably for the last time at this venue as it's the promoters last show. This is the place I first discovered the Cherry Brakewells when I saw them playing with Dead Monroe - who are also playing tonight. Sometimes you see a band you've never heard of and you are hooked as soon as they start playing - this is one of those bands. Their mixture of funk, rock, and soul got me addicted straight away.  On paper they aren't the sort of band you'd expect me to like, but when you hear them play - wow! Their album sounds good and is well produced, but live is where this band are best experienced.  Dead Monroe turn in a polished performance as usual. The last time they played here the sound wasn't very good, through no fault of the band's. Tonight they sound far better, and new boy Elliot ..boards is starting to look more at home. The addition of a keyboard player has certainly filled out the sound and given the band a more commercial edge. The band have some great new material coming through as well - a new song called 'Shouting At The Walls' really impresses me tonight. Last time I was at this venue I got a big surprise when I saw the Cherry Brakewells for the first time. Tonight the Rhythm Factory has another surprise in store. I got a (very nice) surprise last time when a group of girls setting up their equipment on stage looked like some 1970's disco outfit, but most definitelydidn't sound like it.  Tonight I watch a black guy with a big afro setting up - but he's wearing an AC/DC T-shirt! And he's got a black Gibson SG guitar.  The band is Sabatta. Is the AC/DC T-shirt some sort of ironic statement I'm wondering? A big NO is the answer to that as soon as the band start playing - this guy really rips the shit out of that SG - he really means it!  The bass player is damn good too. This is out and out ROCK music - loud and heavy.  The vocals are raw but soulful - this guy can really sing as well as shred on the guitar. There is a lot of soul in the singing, but this band have a hard rock sound - there are Hendrix, Sabbath, AC/DC, Lenny Kravitz, and Living Colour influences in there. The performance is dynamic, with quite a bit of attitude in there - particularly when they are informed that they are out of time and have to stop! This doesn't go down well with the firey frontman as it's not their fault things are running so late and they went on late. "We came here to play a gig!" he proclaims, and refuses to stop. They go on to play another three songs in spite of being asked to stop, the singer saying to the audience before the last one "Do you want to hear that song?" I don't know what that song is, but people do want to hear it. Then they rip into a wild version of 'Ace Of Spades' - a song I saw the Almighty's Ricky Warwick cover only last night - but this is far more fast and furious, as well as being louder! It's a hell of an end to the show, and this is certainly another band I'll be going to see again.

PS: Cherry Brakewell's Telecaster wielding guitarist Anna Calvi is now quite well known in her own right as a singer/songwriter. She's pretty good on the guitar too.