Andy Bull @ Jive, Adelaide(31/10/08)

Mon 3rd Nov, 2008 in Gig Reviews

An intimate crowd at Jive got to experience some impressively talented Australian musicians in an eclectic soul/pop/rock/jazz mix. Andy Bull is riding a wave of success and his first headline tour is showcasing his unique and well-arranged sound to be shown in his 2009 debut album release.

Paul Vallen and his 3 all-stars started the night with some slow pop/rock with a soul feel. The dismal Adelaide turn out was a disappointment. Vallen spoke of the bare dance floor, “you’re too far away”.There were some impressive licks from the lead guitarist and charming vocals from Paul. Unfortunately the crowd did not completely engage with this professional sounding outfit, maybe due to the slower tempo of the music; however their friends in the crowd seemed mighty happy with each song dedicated to one of them. Their up-tempo finish encouraged the crowd to start bopping and gained them some respect.

Second support act Mama Kin was not going to let Adelaide get off easy, they were going to dance and get pumped up, “Okay fill this space come on”. Mama Kin was a breath of fresh air with her sassy diva attitude mixed with a fun-loving party atmosphere. Accompanied by her smiling big brother Michael Caruana on keyboard and stomp box it was clear that there was a great affection and love of performing between these two. The eclectic mix of blues/cabaret/soul/funk/jazz music began to sweep over the crowd and gentle bopping began, with Mama proud of the crowd; I like your style Adelaide, you’ve lived up to your reputation beautifully. Sleep In My Bed, belting blues ballad Woman’s Life, and catchy That Race were particular favourites. An uber solo showed a tender emotive side to Mama. The half hour set was clearly too short for this accomplished performer; it felt like she was just warming up!

The mainly female crowd gathered closer to the stage for main act Andy Bull and his strong backing band. Andy Bull had recently brought his live show to this stage as support for Little Red, however his sound has improved dramatically. The thumping bass, exploding horn section, intricate guitar riffs, and impressive drumming all perfectly complemented Andy’s distinctive vocals and keyboard skills. The last leg of Andy’s first headline Australian tour brought a party vibe from the whole band, particularly shown when they all dared Andy to show off his drumming in the intro to We’re Too Young, where he was surprisingly proficient despite being stirred by his band mates. The family atmosphere within the band was so charming with all members mouthing the lyrics while serenading each other and watching each member’s musicianship with awe, just like the crowd.

Andy prefaced many of his songs with little stories of where the story was written and his appreciation for his new found success. The musicianship of this band was incredible and Andy’s arrangements allowed every member regular moments to shine. Each track felt like it was an encore performance, but they were just warming up. A stripped back version of ballad April Still May with Andy on keys and the horn section showed the intense focus from the crowd in the absence of percussion. Then the surprise addition of the rest of the band as they crept back in delivered a powerful finish. Crowd favourites included Nova played Small Town Girl, Do You Recall and Lady Liberty with amusing Barack Obama influenced backing vocals. I found it refreshing that support act Mama Kin was literally letting her hair down and showing the Adelaide crowd how to dance up a storm during Andy’s set.

The only disappointment was the lack of crowd numbers, with only around 80 people there for the majority of the gig, however I was shocked to realise that only around 50 people seemed to stick around for Andy Bull’s entire set. The remaining crowd were privileged with a two song encore demanded by Mama Kin and the rest of the crowd. It was clear that Andy did not want to leave the stage anyway, “Why do we play these games, you know I’m gagging for it”. The final songs showcased Andy in a solo capacity particularly on tongue-in-cheek ballad She’s Cheating on you Dude. I would like to finish on the note that Adelaide needs to get out there and support live music or great acts will bypass us!