BLACKBERRY SMOKE // O2 ACADEMY, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
BLACKBERRY SMOKE - Too Rock for Country, Too Country for Rock
BLACKBERRY SMOKE PERFORMING AT O2 ACADEMY IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE AS PART OF THEIR UK TOUR - 02.11.2018
PICTURE BY: JOHN HAYHURST AT SNAPAGIG.COM
★★★★☆
Southern Rock is a funny genre, it’s coloured fruit from a hotch potch of original blues, soul and rocknroll and yet mainly played by white blokes with long hair, beards and hats. Name me 3 Southern Rock bands and I guarantee there is a hat and beard in there somewhere, in fact most people would probably struggle to name three anyway. Lynyrd Skynyrd with Freebird/Sweet Home Alabama would be the populist call, and yet there have been many others more recent to take their trophy. Most notably for me personally are The Black Crowes from Atlanta Georgia, back in the early 90’s they developed a blues rock sound that had more than a nod to the Allmans, Grateful Dead and other jam bands of the 70’s. And it’s back to that same State in the US which has now given us – Blackberry Smoke.
Blackberry Smoke came out on stage to a warm welcome, it’s not been too long since their visit last year, but they have notably gone up the ranks in the rock world which is why this gig was an early sell out. Charlie Starr appeared in trademarked big sideburns and smile - and the flares, boots and hair are in full flow as they burst straight into ‘Nobody Gives a Damn’ and then following with ‘Leave a Scar’. That’s a yeee-haar from me and the rest of the Geordie honky tonks who start reaching for some imaginary moonshine tonight rather than the piss weak lager on sale for nearly £5 a pint. The straight up rockers continue with ‘Good One Coming on’ before they draw a breath to thank everyone for coming tonight.
The band has a new record out, Find the Light, and they are promoting it by throwing in 4 songs from that album, but they focused on songs from the rest of their catalog too, particularly 2012’s ‘The Whippoorwill’.
The most Southern looking man in the room is drummer Brit Turner, his timing perfect, as is the hat, beard and lengthy hair. Advertising on their T Shirts that they are ‘Too Rock for Country and Too Country for Rock’ is a neat way of exactly summing up the magic of this band. They might not be quite the right fit for either camp, but that means they do fit with about 80% of either genre, and that means full concert halls and platinum selling albums either side of the pond.
Charlie Starr has this neat little step up and back to the microphone dance, a Steve Marriott strut with a twist kick on the carpeted floor. It’s not perfect or manufactured, just his way of saying I’m having a good time tonight, and there’s little else that his chief sidekicks do to overshadow it. Bassman Richard Turner is all hat, shades and boots and not a lot to say for himself apart from the occasional nod and slow guitar walk from amp to monitor. Paul Jackson has a big smile and some chunky guitar moves without any major histrionics, and Brandon Still was well named as he stays behind the keys where he belongs.
Tonight though is all about good time music – there are no frills with a Blackberry Smoke gig, and their songs tonight range from well over 10 years of great albums, that’s a good couple of hours’ worth of prime entertainment. They are not frightened of playing the odd cover or two either, throwing in some Beatles ‘Come Together’ mid ‘Sleeping Dogs’.
The Black Crowes (who I know I keep harping on about here – Chris Robinson did suggest the name for the band) similarity and evidence is so in your face here, that it’s breathing the same air and chewing your food for you. This is not meant to denigrate them in anyway, I love both bands and to have more of this type of music played live to audiences in the UK is a brilliant testament to the gigging public we have on this island – long may it continue, whatever the genre.
SETLIST: | BLACKBERRY SMOKE – O2 Academy, Newcastle – 02.11.2018
Nobody Gives a Damn
Leave a Scar
Good One Comin’ on
Waiting for the Thunder
Living in the Song
Let it Burn
Medicate My Mind
Sleeping Dogs / Come Together
Shaking Hands with the Holy Ghost
The Whippoorwill
Payback’s a Bitch
Restless
Run Away From It All
Ain’t Got the Blues
Flesh and Bone
One Horse Town
ENCORE:
Sunrise in Texas
Ain’t Much Left of Me