no beefy cheese, but pie and peas and a nosebleed.....
So, I went along to the Jackson Kay Band's performance at Burnley Mechanics on Friday night to do my photography and videoing thing. It was a ticket event for the staff working in Burnley Council's leisure department. This caused much mirth amongst my bandmates in Reload who came with me as they then proceeded to spend the evening working out "cover stories" as to why they were there. Tom (our singer) is the only one who looks like he's ever been anywhere near a gym (I went once....but only because they had a great vending machine).
Thankfully I was allowed to set my camcorder up in the control room which gave me a clear line of sight to the stage (thus avoiding the masses of helium filled balloons on every table) and this left me free to abandon the tripod and roam around the front of house and backstage areas clicking away to my hearts content.
I met Dan (the drummer) before the gig and warned him that I may pop up in the wings beside him and not to let me put him off.....I needn't have worried, as every time he spotted me he hammed it up for the camera - plenty of cheesy grins.
The band played two full sets of full on floor fillers. Predominantly disco/pop music (with some old school rock and roll classics) but they do themselves a huge disservice to call what they do "beefy cheese". They gave a consummately polished performance and had the dance floor filled almost from the minute they started.
As a front man Jack is very engaging to watch, he clearly invests himself completely in whatever he is playing, grooving around stage, interacting with the audience throughout and goddamit if I don't absolutely have to get me a hat now.
The songs constantly segued from one to the next so as not to interrupt the flow, but this was never at the expense of audience interaction as the band engaged with them at every opportunity within the songs themselves and during the occasional between song interlude.
All band members supplied backing vocals and the bassist and Dan both took lead vocal duties in a few numbers. This is a band that didn't appear to have any weak links. I can't remember seeing a band so perfectly suited to parties and functions. In fact I'd rank them as one of the best function bands I've seen.
In order to provide balance......there were occasional musical gaffes but they weren't so obvious as to cause any concern and were very few and far between. And a point that's so trivial and subjective its hardly worth pointing out (but I can't find anything else to criticise and don't want the "backslapping brigade" accusing me of being partisan) - I don't like the presence of the band's mobile phone number on the bass drum head (especially as it's on their pull up banner). It just seems to "cheapen" the look of the band a little though I can understand the motivation for doing so.
Anyhow....whilst I was being all productive and 'Annie Leibovitz" like my band were eating the pie and peas people dry. Tom, who must have hollow legs, made Nick and Pete go and get their plates filled even though they'd already eaten and then proceeded to eat the lot. I didn't let him anywhere near mine.....Then, bright spark that he is, Tom decided to suck the helium out of a balloon so he could sing Saxon's Wheels of Steel in a chipmunk voice. All very funny until he tried it again with another balloon and the nip he took out of the balloon caused it to explode in his face and his nose exploded with it.....massive nose bleed ensued. Now you would think that his cousin Nick would be concerned. No. Not a bit of it. Nick laughed so hard and so long he nearly threw a clot.
Honestly....I can't take them anywhere....
Photos of the night are here (no nosebleed photos)
http://s131.photobucket.com/albums/p296/Dibs13/Jackson%20Kay%20Band/
