6th Dec 2008, The Bakery, Perth, Australia
| For those who aren’t familiar with the Bakery, it is in arty venue in Northbridge, complete with alleyway entrance and no tap beer. This may sound uninviting, but ultimately it only adds to the atmosphere. There is an intimacy to the performing space which makes you feel close but also relies on the crowd to do the right thing by the performer – any heckling or inappropriate behaviour is felt throughout the crowd because everyone can hear what is going on. This yelling out at inappropriate times put a bit of a damper on the first few songs (including opener I Heard The Marchin' Of The Drum), but after the annoying patrons received a polite suggestion from their neighbours that they should quiet down, the listening experience improved and all focus turned to the witty, dapper and unique CW Stoneking.
Here is a man who has had the most story-worthy life experiences I’ve ever heard. If you could get chatting to a stranger at the pub, this is the kind of guy you’d want to talk to. I can only hope he writes an autobiography, because his music merely dabs the surface of what has been a most interesting life so far. Ship wrecks, hoodoo magic, clairvoyance, scientific expeditions and various other things that you and I have never been exposed to are all part of this man’s artillery when it comes to writing a tune, and he uses it all to put together an enthralling live performance. The set consisted mainly of songs from the newest album Jungle Blues with most tracks from that record getting a run, including a brief appearance from Stoneking’s wife Kirsty Fraser which added a cheeky dynamic that worked perfectly. Jungle Lullaby prompted sing-a-longs from the crowd, but this only served to bring the song down because of CW’s unique voice clashing with a crowd of predominately tone-deaf shouters. Talkin' Lion Blues seemed to be a crowd favourite and prompted rapturous applause. Don’t Go Dancin Down The Darktown Strutters Ball is an utterly brilliant track and it quite simply swept everyone away in the moment with a hush coming over the whole crowd. The Primitive Horn Orchestra (trombone, tuba, trumpet, drums) impressed with some great break-outs and detail that built the atmosphere so important for this type of music, and they really seemed to be enjoying themselves too. Overall, this was a great show and a sell out which just shows that there is a market for great music whatever style it may be – congratulations to you CW and good luck. I can’t wait for the next instalment. |
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