The Delta Riggs, HancockBasement @ Transit Bar,Canberra (8/7/10)

Sat 10th Jul, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Thursday night saw Hancock Basement’s long awaited return to Transit, with Sydney gents The Delta Riggs along for the ride, which, judging by the enthusiastic crowd turned out to be a winning combination.

Getting to a gig early means that you bear witness to last minute preparations, sound checks and in Thursday’s case, pre-show pizza dinners. However, it wasn’t long before The Delta Riggs took to the stage, all rootsy soul and Americana drenched charm, and impressed with a mix of toe-tapping, finger-snapping numbers and melancholy ballads dedicated to ‘the ladies’. Their cruisy, bluegrass sound was a pleasant surprise for someone not familiar with their music and had this reviewer comparing them to a young Jimmy Barnes (although apparently that’s not actually a compliment). Listening to The Delta Riggs, you could easily imagine that instead of Transit, you’re sitting in someone’s backyard, fire roaring, listening to some pretty talented friends jam. With plenty of gusto, they wound up their set, with more then a few converted fans.

After an interval that was rather short and sweet, Hancock Basement once again reminded us why they are such a fixture on not just the Canberra music scene, but interstate as well. As always, their tight, pop infused numbers drew crowds, with a mob of pretty well-dressed dancers forming at the front of the stage. They kicked off with the infectious Don Juan, played a new, yet to be named number plus crowd favourites Lovely Bones and Hey Kids and closed with We Started Something, the familiar strains of the sax drawing people to their feet.

An encore needed to be aborted, thanks to a spontaneous dive into the drum kit, but this didn’t seem to bother the adoring crowd. Hancock always bring a high level of quality to their shows and Thursday was no different, with a room full of happy fans further evidence (not that it was needed) that these local lads are going places. With a much anticipated video on the way and the ability to fill venues and dance-floors, you should definitely watch this space.

It was great to see so many people come out on what was a pretty cold night, to support local and interstate acts. It’s enthusiasm like this that will keep the local music scene thriving and ensure that many more Canberra bands enjoy the same kind of success that Hancock Basement is enjoying.