Another night in Camden. Sounds like it should be a song title. This time it is at the delightfully named Black Heart, a pub that boasts "beer, booze and bands in no particular order." Serving a fine selection of ales downstairs, a small door at the back of the pub leads up a creaky staircase to a small Aladdin’s cave of musical wonder upstairs. Complete with a small bar of its own, the venue looks more like a subterranean basement than a first floor pied-a-terre with exposed brick walls, no windows and a dark, hot and sweaty environment. Ideal for dark, hot and sweaty music. Tonight’s dark, hot sweatiness is provided by three acts. First up is artist Sea Foam Green, or Dave O’Grady from Dublin. A short set of solo acoustic songs opened the night with a gentle introduction. With music described as Americana/Psych/Folk it was an interesting range of songs.



Which lead very nicely to Jack J Hutchinson’s Boom Boom Brotherhood. Consisting of Frontman Jack J Hutchinson (vocals and guitar), Rick Baxendale (bass), Jim Brazendale (drums) they also had a special guest in Tom Brundage (harp) all the way from the good old You Ess of Eh? Jack hails originally from Burnley but has lived for the last 4 years in the Camden neighbourhood making him the local lad (sort of). Jack is the bands chief songwriter with all the songs performed written by him. Sporting his trademark hat and unsuitably warm double denim – it was dark, hot and sweaty remember – Jack dragged some fantastically dirty Blues from his Les Paul Tribute through a Marshall JCM 2000. The majority of the set was taken from his new album ‘Set Your Heart For The Sun’ – a nod to a certain Pink Floyd track. The record is featured in the March 2017 issue of Classic Rock Magazine. They described it as “Heavy Blues of 70's vintage, revved up by memorable riffs and stunning harmony guitar.” And they are quite right to say so. They are a tight trio, come quartet, but with a very relaxed demeanour. Friendly banter between tracks (and during the usual regular LP re-tunings) had the crowd very much at their ease and tapping their toes. The band clearly enjoys what they do. They have been regulars around the Blues scene and are forming a sizeable following. Their sound is the heavier side of Blues come Rock with some fuzz filled riffs. Not sure if I should head-bang or cry into my bourbon. 'Too Much Too Soon' had some lovely swampy slide guitar and was an appropriately dark, hot and sweaty way to end the set. I’m purchasing that album for sure.



Set list



Wake Up

Boom

Jezebel

Love Is Gonna Bring You Home

Long Time Coming

Fight Fire With Fire

Loving Man

Get It Back

Too Much Too Soon



"Main Event" of the night is the amazingly talented, and very young Aaron Keylock. Still only a teenager, the slightly built unassuming looking lad has exploded onto the scene and he exploded onto the stage to the rather unusual sound of jungle drums. With his long hair, playing style and Les Paul shaped guitar, he bares more than a passing resemblance to one James Page Esq. More of those guitars shortly. Having played with Blackberry Smoke, The Cadillac Three, Tracer, The Graveltones and The Answer and supported the likes of Joanne Shaw Taylor, Aaron has some pedigree to bring to the Camden Massif. Tonight is about promoting and playing his new album 'Cut Against The Grain', written by himself and produced by Fabrizio Grossi. Opening number is the excellent 'Falling Again' which has a really good groove although vocally Aaron took a while to warm into the track. He is still a work in progress vocally but that is not to say he can’t cut it, he can. I just feel that his voice will continue to improve. 'Down' is a great song - alternate fast picking and slow doomy sludge. Yeeha! 'Medicine Man' has Skynyrd overtones and a wonderful T-Rex style riff with slide on the side. 'Spin The Bottle' provides a sing-along chorus with a nice heavy bass riff from Jordan Maycock behind a solid rhythm riff. 'Just One Question' takes us back to a slow Blues classic. Inspired by BB King, our almost feminine faced frontman produced some fine classic Blues, somewhat unusual for a white teenage kid. Seems to be all the rage with the guitar playing youngsters these days though, I am glad to say.



Bringing the tempo back up was 'Ain’t That Kindness' with another Chugger-Chugg rhythm and on to 'All The Right Moves' which has an almost punky schoolboy irreverence about it. He’s good this lad. 'That’s Not Me' is followed by the swampy rocking 'Alabama Getaway'. It’s another of the songs that changes style a couple of times with a good Rock and Roll beat, in the mode of Chuck Berry or George Thorogood, that got my toes tapping. Fred Astaire would have been proud of me. Drummer Sonny Miller Greaves provided and extended drum intro into 'Sun’s Gonna Shine' which again is a song which morphs from one style to another. Palm muting riffage becomes an almost funky boogie and then into a clap along song. All the while Aaron and Sonny are almost jamming with each other for fun. It was a real crowd pleaser. Closing out the set was the title track 'Cut Against The Grain', another fine slice of upbeat Southern slide allowing the double A to show off his fine playing skills.



You have to keep reminding yourself that the fella is still only young yet obviously has years of playing under those fingertips as well as some beautiful guitars. Speaking of which, the three axes played by the man tonight, through a Marshall 1987x head, are all custom built models by fellow Oxfordians TSR Guitars. Newest of the triumvirate of lutherian exquisitivity is a Tennessee Honey Les Paul which was played on the majority of the tracks. Beautiful work gentlemen. As a piece of work, the album is very good and a credit to Mr K’s obvious talents. What will he produce next? Just keep it dark, hot and sweaty.



Set List



Falling Again

Down

Medicine Man

Spin The Bottle

Just One Question

Ain’t That Kindness

All The Right Moves

That’s Not Me

Alabama Getaway

Sun’s Gonna Shine

Against The Grain



Mother