Rivet City... no, not that one!
I am often asked how I approach a review of a band that I know nothing about. The answer is quite simple really. Have an open mind, look, listen and observe.
If we take Rivet City as an example, here is a five-piece ensemble who have been around for about five years writing their own material, recording a few free downloads and gigging to refine their style, image and sound.
The core of Rivet City is at the heart of everything good about this band. Mike Hall on Drums combines well with Conor Marsh on Bass and Dean Hemmings on rhythm guitar (and clever additional licks), to provide a solid, dependable platform allowing vocalist Jake Breeze to concentrate on delivering beautifully constructed songs and whipping an audience into a frenzy.
If these four are the cake, then the icing and cherry on top is Dave Harcup on lead guitar. Throughout the set, I heard echoes of Mark Knopfler, George Benson and Robert Cray together with a fusion of R&B, Jazz-Funk and a modern, laid back style rap with meaning, verve and sophistication. The band has an easy style, the confidence of youth and the ability, through Breeze, to engage an audience from opener to encore.
It was a balanced set, with subtle changes of pace and intensity. My own personal favourite was ‘Difference’ that is simply a great song, closely followed by ‘Napalm’, the newest of the songs played here tonight, with a sublime beat reminiscent of Gill Scott-Heron at his peak.
The audience of around 100 may have included friends and family, but the rest were won over and played their part, turning this into a night to remember. The Deaf Institute needed to be owned tonight. Rivet City, a band not a town from a computer game, took it, shook it up and closed it down.
The only negative was that Rivet City produces a sound that is far too big and refined for the sound system here tonight. This is a band that needs a bigger and better PA to handle the layers and subtlety of sound that they deliver.
Let’s make a resolution for the New Year to make 2016 all about the new bands. If you do make that commitment, start with bands like Rivet City and take yourself on a journey of delivery...
