I have been quite shy recently in terms of reviewing concerts and I guess the reason it that I subconsciously do not want to bring a jinx after everything occurring since the start of 2020… However, I must confess being (almost) back to normal in terms of gigs’ activity since the End of the Road festival took place in summertime. I was lucky to travel to the United States of America after the reopening of flights for non-residents… and attending a great gig in my beloved NYC. Brooklyn Steel is a quite new location, opened in 2017 in the iconic Williamsburg district and built out of a site which used to be a steel manufacturing plant, hence the name.
The concert was actually one of a kind as it was part of a US-only short tour, gathering artists having many things in common and playing with each other in all sets. The evening started with the beautiful voice of Americana singer Jess Williamson, supported on a few songs by the excellent Katie Crutchfield, better known as artist Waxahatchee.
Katie Crutchfield also happens to Kevin Morby‘s girlfriend and when the latter appeared on stage in a beautiful nudie suit, she also sang a few tracks with him. I had discovered Kevin Morby at the 2016 End of the Road edition and I must admit being a avid follower of him since then, putting regularly his records amongst my favourites. I found him really amazing that night and it looked to me he gains confidence in his art with time. His music is to me the perfect mix of traditional American music with an edge which is very modern and indie-rock influenced.
Last but not least, it was time for Hamilton Leithauser to come on stage and play his traditional happy/sad songs with one of the most beautiful voices of our times. He is the kind of artists I actually caught many times on stage either with his former band The Walkmen or as a solo artists opening for other bands, but every time I have a live experience with this musician, I am impressed by his dedication and the quality of his music. A great time in NYC and hopefully I will be back soon!
Those familiar with this blog probably understood that End of the Road festival is my favourite moment of the year. After months of uncertainties for reasons we all know and cancellation of the 2020 edition, all fans of this special event were delighted to get confirmation that it would go on as expected. There were of course a few cancellations here and there and the organisers had to re-think the line-up but those who were invited to join made this year’s edition as great as the previous ones. The 2022 edition has just been confirmed earlier in the week so I though it would be the right time to review the 2021 one.
Day 1 – Thursday 2nd September 2021
And here we were again, surrounded by millions of people, starting with the traditional Thursday evening warm-up. The first gig is always an emotional one and I was delighted to see a young band from London lead by Sam Akpro. Finishing Day 1 with Stereolab was also a delight and their mix of British Pop, Krautrock repetitive groove and French influences has always made them apart.
Gig of the day:Kikagaku Moyo. They are an amazing psychedelic Japanese band and I guess the picture below illustrates what they are better than words!
Day 2 – Friday 3rd September 2021
Cape: tick ; beanie hat: tick ; light chair: tick. Ready to spend once again a few hours in a beautiful and friendly environment, surrounded by music lovers! I managed to catch seven concerts that day and they were all either very good or great. From discoveries like London-based African ensemble Balimaya Project, rising folk artist John Francis Flynn or jazz drummer Sarathy Korwar to new sensation Arlo Parks or again female Welsh singer Lonelady, they all made that day a special one. Specific mention of course to Damon Albarn who joined the line-up a month before and gave us a few songs from his new album which was not released yet at the time plus a few Blur classics.
Gig of the day: Hot Chip. I was expecting an overwhelming time with Hot Chip, a band which could be described as the New Order of our times (or again the British LCD Soundsystem). Whatever the description, they are an amazing band on stage to dance to and their setlist was awesome, including two covers of choice (The Beastie Boys‘ ”Sabotage” and Bruce Springsteen‘s ”Dancing In The Dark’‘).
Day 3 – Saturday 4th September 2021
As one knows, Saturday is usually the most tiring day of the four, hence the need for energic bands! I must admit that it was so indeed, either with personal favourites like Penelope Isles, Jane Weaver or again new comers Squid. Sunderland’s Field Music were also invited again and once more the Brewis brothers did not disappoint, mixing classic British rock with Steely Dan influences. I was also super excited to catch Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood presenting his beautiful movie soundtracks with classical musicians but I must confess this was maybe not the kind of atmosphere I was looking for to finish the day so I once more enjoyed the majesty of Sleaford Mods. The more it goes, the more I like their records and stage presence.
Gig of the day:The Comet Is Coming. Led by saxophonist extraordinaire Shabaka Hutchings, this band is his more experimental one amongst the many projects he has. With his two compadres Maxwell Hallett on drums and Dan Leavers on keyboards, their music is a mix of jazz, dance and drone. It may look like a weird recipe but it works really well and they really were on fire that day.
Day 4 – Sunday 5th September 2021
…and eventually, it had to end again with final day. Seven concerts again on Sunday leading to a total of twenty four gigs in four days. Not that bad although there were a few choices to be done and I missed artists such as Arab Strap, Black Country New Road, Vanishing Twin or again John Grant. But no regrets at all as spending my Sunday with female solo performer Billy Nomates, folk skilled-guitarist Jim Ghedi, hip-hop MC Pan Amsterdam or Manchester band W.H. Lung was really enjoyable. The very singular music of King Krule or the fascinating beauty of new band Dry Cleaning could have made them both my gig of the day but a young lady was above them all that day.
Gig of the day:Little Simz. I was looking forward to finally catching Simbi, alias Little Simz on stage as I have been a major fan of her music for a few years now. She stepped on stage like a really unique performer, dressed with enlightening black and white clothes in front of a row of fantastically-gifted musicians. I am not sure what made her different but to me, this concert confirmed she is really one of the current greats.
Reformation can really be deceptive sometimes and I must admit I was not sure what to find, having in mind main songwriter and guitarist Martin Carr politely declined the invitation. These fears disappeared immediately after hearing the first notes of music played that night: the beautiful voice of Sice, the powerful drumming of Rob Cieka, the sense of melody of bass player Timothy Brown, the excellent guitar-effects playing of their tour guitarist… as if nothing had really changed. Sice made jokes throughout the nights about not getting younger (aside from Rob who found the fountain of youth) and not ready to go on a diet (‘Wish I Was Skinny‘) but really the way they played was as dedicated and amazing as during their peak period. The setlist was very well balanced with songs from their four 1993 to 1998 albums plus a few new (and very good) songs from their March 2022 soon to be released new album. Although they tried not to let it appeared too much, it was obvious that it was a special moment for the band, full of emotion and good vibes. Gents, welcome back to the music world and please make sure that it was not a one of a kind moment but that there will be more to come. And please play ‘I Hang Suspended‘ next time!
Virgins and Philistines 