The Joe Kings, Adam Hole andMarji Curran Band, HeathMarshall @ ANU Bar, Canberra(28/10/010)

Sat 30th Oct, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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From the electrifying first riffs to the last minute introductions by lead singer Jack Stirling in the style of Vince Fontaine ala Grease, The Joe Kings gig was an amazing night.

One man band Heath Marshall started the night off, greeting people with a smooth blend of rough rock and soft charming ballads.

There are those people who can play, and then there is Heath Marshall. This man should be playing to huge audiences, with the amazing talent for songwriting as well as the ability to play both guitar and drums at the same time and make it sound seamless. At one point, he used his drum sticks to play the cymbals in front of him, and then used them as sliders for the guitar on his lap. Plus, who can’t like a man who brings out a banjo? There aren’t enough banjos in the world nowadays.

After plugging his EP Up The Fate, Marshall played an amazing mash-up of the Offspring’s Self Esteem and Eagle Eye Cherry’s Save Tonight. The audience fell in love with this man, although it was obvious he already had some fans in the crowd, who jokingly yelled out stuff like “You’re paid to play so play!” and “One more, c’mon!”.

After a brief soundcheck, Canberra locals Adam Hole and Marji Curran Band were next to take to the stage. The three-piece was an energetic mix of roots and country rock, including a slide guitar and a tambourine. Amid the hand clapping and beautiful harmonies of the two lead singers, there seemed to be a bit of confusion as to what the theme of the night was, considering the slight genre switch between acts. A cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene was the highlight of the set, sounding even better than the original and suiting the lead singer’s voice down to a tee.

“We’re The Joe Kings, from Perth, and we’re gonna get a bit loose tonight!’’

Sounding like the illegitimate kids of The White Stripes and Dan Sultan, The Joe Kings jumped up to play smooth old style rock n’ roll and giving it a modern edge. Indeed, the four piece could be described as 50’s rock in black skinny-leg jeans.

Playing to a small audience of 40-50 people, the band took it in their stride and mucked around onstage, having fun and teaching the crowd such gems as “Don’t make friends with Will Smith; he is a clingy man in black”. Considering how young the band is, with the drummer being only 18, The Joe Kings have a knack for making the crowd seem included in their shenanigans between songs.

Showmanship is a priority of the band, seen in the synchronised (if not cheeky) hand movements during the start of their cover Good Lovin’ by The Rascals.

Midway through the set, the obligatory slower song rears its head. Obligatory in the sense that, according to folklore, every gig has to have a slower, calmer song. The Joe Kings served up Take Me Home, a nice semi-slow tune, which funked up towards the end. It made the otherwise amazing gig seemed a little disjointed, something the singer may have noticed when he announced after the song ending, “Ok, we’ll pick it up a bit”.

Tight and well-rehearsed, the band play around with different parts of different musical genres, while keeping the old fashion rock feel. A strong voice from lead singer Stirling, pumping guitar solos and smooth basslines make The Joe Kings live performance a real treat and it will be only a matter of time before they go onto bigger and better things.

SEE THE GALLERY HERE!