The Sheepdogs - Baaa'd to the Bone
Every now and then UK blues fans need a band to remind us what real southern rock blues should sound like, originally it was The Allmans, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and CCR, but recently there has only been the Kings Of Leon or perhaps the Black Keys that have brought this genre up to date with global success.
So it’s been a while, but the time is right for a new breed, and here are The Sheepdogs on one of their first trips across the pond supporting The Temperance Movement on their UK tour.
But hang on, if you didn’t know any better you would expect them to announce from the stage they were from Alabama or Nashville, so when bass player and founder member Ryan Gullen says they are from “Saskatoon Canada” all eyes and ears are pricked up – lets face it, aside from the prog rock superkings Rush and Neil Young, I can’t name many more musical giants (but those 2 are pretty big) from the North Country.
The Sheepdogs play ‘Future Nostalgia’ - that’s the title of their latest album and is a great sum up of the sound, strong enough to hold all their key influences and the history, and yet fresh enough to feel current. It’s good time music, music that puts a smile on your face and a beer in your hand. We are talking twin Gibson leads, Hammond organ, beards, long hair and tashes of the finest quality.
Keyboard player Shamus Currie can pick out the sweetest sharpest Hammond sound I have heard in years, but there has to be a twist and “he’s a keyboard wizard – who sure plays a mean trombone”. Adding an extra horn section to the twin guitars of his brother Ewan Currie and Rusty Matyas is pure bliss, and on any other night this would have been worthy of a headlining performance.
They play a huge chunk of their 5th studio album ‘Future Nostalgia’, but this band have been together for around 10 years so it’s not surprising that they sound as tight as you can get, and trot out a couple of older tunes in the form of “I Don’t Know” and “Feeling Good”.
They get a good hour of stage time and by the end of it the place is packed and all hands clapping and cheering, they just made a couple of thousand new fans tonight, and they have been doing that every night on the tour so far. Hard to believe that they are relatively unknown here, and yet five years ago in America they appeared on a cover of the Rolling Stone.
We are lagging behind in the UK, so if you like your rock music in that ‘Allmans’ southern style, then The Sheepdogs are throwing you a bone here!
COMMENTS
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and watch out for the next review coming too - the headlining act of the night - The Temperance Movement.
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Nice review John. I only hear great things about this band and am very much looking forward to seeing them at The Forum on Wednesday.
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Are you in for a treat if you are seeing both TTM and The Sheepdogs, such a great night last Friday !
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Stop the press The Sheepdogs are coming back to the UK in April for a tour of some small venues, you would be crazy to miss them !
