LIVE REVIEW NEKO CASE @ COLCHESTER ARTS CENTRE 15/09/09

Timeless country, blues, Americana and rockabilly tinged pop.

Fans of alternative country, lo-fi and other, predominantly American, sub-genres from the last decade or two were in for something different at Colchester Arts Centre when Neko Case came to town. Imagine yourself transported from grey Essex to the vast and unforgiving terrain of rural America, complete with truck stops and juke joints.

The evening commences with a set from Brooklyn based band, Black Gold, a fitting opening act with galloping up-tempo pieces interwoven with sparse 'country-esque' ballads. Eric Ronick's high mournful vocals startle the listener, gouging at times at times to the almost guttural, sweet and simple over the solid rhythm section. The near primal stomp of Lu's drum rhythms are softened by Shiben's subtle bass to create a powerful backdrop for the sparse guitar and vocals. Although the music is clearly within contemporary sub-genres - indie, alt-country, it contains also a timeless evocative sound: vast planes, craggy mountains, long, dusty highways.

At 9.30pm Neko and her band hit the stage. After some very brief greetings they launch with an opening song. Clean, cutting and memorable, it is a high tempo banjo driven number, distinctly Appalachian in feel. Each band member shows their style. Neko's powerful voice is at the fore, garnished by sweet backup harmony. The voices range from low foreboding to high, American-sun kissed harmonies. The lyrics are melancholy, regretful ("breaking up from your town"), to joyful, rebellious, dark with wit. Take the song that tells the story of a "homicidal picnic of sorts"!

There are plenty of minor key songs with mournful pedal steel, tear drenched lyrics or upbeat, hoe down numbers, rollicking rhythms, twangy guitars, thumping double bass and tambourine. As with Black Gold, Neko's music is visually evocative. At times I think of sweaty bars and truck stops in the American West and others: mountain trails, dusty mules, boulders scrub and rattlers. The encore rounds off the set effectively: stripped down vocals and guitar culminating to the most rocked up song of the set.

Nobody leaves unsatisfied.

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