It may have been a cold and bleak wintry evening outside Adelaide’s Governor Hindmarsh on Sunday night, but when legendary reggae funkster Nicky Bomba took to the stage it was all sunshine and smiles.
Bomba was out and about kicking off his Jah in the Moment tour. The tour is to support Bomba’s first solo foray of the same name ahead of the release of his debut solo album later this year. If the enthusiastic response to Sunday night’s show is any indication, Nicky on his own is an absolute winner.
However, before the crowd could revel in the eternal sunshine of Nicky’s easy going vibe, there were a couple of classy locals ready to warm things up. First came the bouncy summertime charm of Laura Hill. Taking to the stage alone armed only with a six string, Laura’s lively finger picking and impressive vocal acrobatics breathed as much warmth into the room as the enormous blow heater in the back corner.
Laura was followed by local eccentric and recent winner of the Triple J Top Song Competition for South Australia, Vorn Doolette. Scheduled to open for Nicky Bomba for the next couple of months, Vorn peppered his performance of soulful folk ballads with his typical odd range of banter and between-song stunts. These included handing out flavoured tea rewards for the loudest swearer and setting off party poppers. Vorn capped off his performance with a blistering rendition of lively and hilarious set highlight, End of the World.
Then Nicky Bomba appeared and suddenly the room was packed with bobbing and skanking revellers. Nicky fired things up with a genre-bending drum solo journey around the world. Not content with playing jaw dropping reggae, jazz and Latin beats, Nicky drummed the wall and his drum stool before taking up his guitar and being joined by drummer George Servanis and bassist Barry Deenick.
Bomba’s amazing stage presence was matched by the crowd’s wild enthusiasm. People were dragged out of the audience to form an impromptu mento group with remarkable results, underscoring Bomba’s philosophies about the importance of music as a community experience.
Having played a range of instruments, a broad catalogue of musical styles and genuinely entertained a substantial Sunday evening audience, Nicky ended his set by inviting the members of Poetikool Justice onstage for a drum-thumping-bonanza performance of reggae standard Cherry Oh Baby. The track appears on Nicky’s Jah in the Moment single, and provided a fitting close to a brilliant set.
The night was extended slightly with a quick hip-hop funk set from Poetikool Justice. Though the crowd diminished noticeably, those that remained matched the lads for intensity and were treated with a fleeting final appearance from Nicky Bomba to end the night.
It might still be chilly in the land down under, but wherever Nicky Bomba plays over the next couple of months it will no doubt seem like the sun is shining.
