Tags
folk, Industrial Folk, live music, Liz Aiken, Netgigs, The Convent, The Convent Club. Stroud, The Jar Family
The Jar Family
The Convent Club, Gloucestershire
28th June 2015
The stage was set and out of the jar of The Convent Club musical delights that can be accessed during and after the show via Netgig are the Hartlepool based band of musicians delivering their own mix sweet & sour, happy & sad, rural & industrial comprising six members who create the special sound that is The Jar Family. All six are a happy band of men who leave their egos away from the stage as the solid drumming by Kez ‘jubjub’ Edwards at the back keeps the rhythms under control and the five up front delivered perfectly seasoned and balanced ‘Industrial Folk’. Opening with Grace the music hit the ground running; Payback allowed three of the vocalists to shine; opening with Chris Hook the lead guitarist, 
Dali with his baritone and tambourine and Richie Docherty with guitar rather than his energizing percussive force. The tempo quieted down with 1914 Max Bianco taking the vocal and guitar duties opening this evocative and moving number with a traditional folk intro with the band picking up the mood and adding a subdued instrumental line and a humming chorus, finished off by Max with his stylish harmonica solo as the story unfolds of Christmas 1914 with the drums mournfully beating out a monotone beat and, wow – a silence as the audience reflected for a second and then a erupted into 
a rapturous cheer. How do you follow that? – well change the mood and tempo with It’s a Mad World, the very title summing up the state of the world this Saturday, with crises, bombings and murder affecting Europe and beyond. There is a promise of a new album out in September hurry up we all want to listen after the offering of the songs to be included tonight, Paint Me A Picture and Fight. Closing the first set a topical number reflecting as folk should what is happening in the here and now with Debt; punctuated by some gorgeous slide guitar from Dali adding another texture to these raunchier rockier numbers.
With glasses refreshed and a breather the second set opened with a sound that is folk that is not just three-dimensional it is multi-dimensional with layers of tone and texture that weave together creating a strong colourful cloth of music. World’s Too Fast is a steaming driving fast tempo track and makes you realise the importance of slowing it all down as the track was exhausting! Machine see’s the first outing of Dali’s 3-string electric demon of a slide guitar that has a deep rough sound creating a unique character. How to pick the tracks to write about is difficult when the whole show was fabulous I really recommend you take up The Convent Club’s offer to share The Jar Family live via their streaming service. In for A Penny one of the first and finest songs they have put together as a band with its country feel; Moya Moya a real party
piece as the tempo was raising and Have To Go each of the five vocalist sing a verse including the talented ex-squeeze bassist Keith Wilkinson who is the glue that gels the band into a cohesive whole with the multi-instrumental approach, a great signature farewell to a magnificent barnstorming evening of live music of the highest order.
A great band that relish standing out from the crowd each individually talented musicians with distinctive styles collectively the strong characters blend and bend creating music that has a strong narrative and melody and a real feel good feeling who needs Glastonbury headliners with this quality live on a Saturday night in a wonderful setting
SET LIST
Grace
Broken
Payback
Footsteps
1914
Mad World
Paint Me a Picture
Fight
Debt
She Was Crying
Leave Me Alone
World’s Too Fast
Machine
In For A Penny
In The Clouds
Pieces
Moya Moya
Tell Me Baby
Encore
Have To Go
Missed the gig follow the Link and Watch here via Netgig from The Convent Club…
bluesdoodles 