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Gig Review

John Butler Trio / Newton Faulkner
London, The Roundhouse, Camden

Article written by John S - May 14, 2007

Ginger dreadlocked Newton Faulkner, having dropped the Battenburg centre of his previous performing moniker, was the perfectly chosen support. The crowd�s fairly interesting make up � largely with Australians � seemed to lap him up. Faulkner is quite simply a fantastic guitarist and does things that are close to the likes of Rodrigo y Gabriela�s talent levels. Covering Massive Attack�s Tear Drop was an interesting choice and not one that your average singer-songwriter would make. One of the most impressive things about Newton Faulkner is that he has strong stage presence and had the crowd lapping up his �do you guys want some acoustic jungle� � to which he duly, albeit shortly, obliged. Forthcoming single I Need Something came complete with beautiful picking and Full Fat had some cynical sentiments delivered with humour. To hear a support act commanding a singalong and getting rapturous applause for an encore is a rare occurrence indeed.

Having been underwhelmed by the John Butler Trio�s latest offering, it was with trepidation that this gig was met. However, such fears were duly blown away by openers Better Than and Daniella � much beefier live than on record. JBT were lucky in that there was a largely partisan crowd, but luck itself isn�t enough to cement a good performance. The trio played a set mainly full of new album tracks with the odd track off previous albums, with Zebra being given a particularly invigorating work out. There was the odd over-earnest moment, slightly pushing cheese boundaries, with the �treat your mama with respect� refrain of Treat Your Mama not sitting well coupled with an introduction coming loaded with sending up a prayer references to peace, the war in Iraq and famine. When JBT became just John Butler holding court, things did have a tendency to trail off with the driving force of the drums and bass leaving the stage. Upon their return, the set picked up again, as did the audience�s attention. Roused by singalong versions of Peaches and Cream and some bulky basslines, the final few songs finished the set in a positive manner and the crowd were still dancing for a while after the band have left the stage.

Links:
http://www.johnbutlertrio.com