It's been a while since I last saw KITTY DAISY & LEWIS, mainly due to fast many of their shows sell out in London. So having got my tickets early I was very happy to be able to go see the coolest kids in music once more.
First on were THE SHARP TONGUES who are a three piece who at first look like they will be Country rock/Americana but looks are a little deceptive and a little digging that tells me the two guys are formerly from Ten Benson and have hooked up with the enigmatic and apparently secretive Canadian singer Julia who was part of the Toronto secret rock scene. So don't tell anyone they are really quite good. Shhh!
As the name suggests, the songs have fine bitter and twisted lyrics and musically they are a garage band filtered through the likes of 28th Day, Absolute Grey, Gang of Four and Pylon. I liked the buzz cut guitars and angry drumming they built upon throughout.
They did a very good version of Bewitched, the old Beat Happening classic, that had two or three false endings as Julia screamed how much she had "a crush on you." They are well worth finding out about and my only complaint is that sometimes the vocals sound like they should be backed by different music as Julia has one of those voices that could almost be Siouxie Sioux goth. Good though it is, their music rarely if ever reflects that side of her voice.
Well KITTY DAISY & LEWIS were playing this gig to celebrate there new album Smoking in Heaven that is out now as a box set of 10" 78's (mono) or a double vinyl 33/3 stereo album or CD or even download (www.kittydaisyandlewis.com www.sundaybest.net) Yes, the version on 78 contains the bonus material as it should for taking the proper old school version the band press up themselves. Still no sign of the 8 track or cassette versions mind.
Dingwalls was rammed to the rafters by the time they came on and as ever Kitty Daisy & Lewis are joined in the band by their mum and dad Graham and Ingrid. Damn, they have grown somewhat since I last saw them, well Kitty and Daisy have certainly grown but what did I expect as Daisy is now 18 years old and has only been in the band for 11 years!!
They opened with Smoking In Heaven the title track of the new LP and with Daisy thrashing the hell out of her drums, driving the tune on as they settled into whipping up a hometown storm with their old school rhythm and blues as is expected of them these days. They switched instruments and formations for pretty much every song which is always a neat trick to keep the sound evolving. Early highlights included a stonking version of Mean Son Of A Gun and Don't make a Fool Out of Me.
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Early Single Polly Put The Kettle On got a big cheer as did the bands special guest Eddie 'Tan Tan' Thornton who was by far the oldest musician onstage. Great trumpet solos from him on I'm So Sorry and Baby Hold me Tight. He was really interacting with the band as they ripped along and made themeselves into a Mento/ska band with a big nod towards Tommy McCook's Cuban Jamaican crossover sound. I love the fact that the new songs (mainly written by the band or with/ by their parents) all sound like they could have been written in the 1930/40's. With plenty of room in the stories, the lyrics tell of heartbreak or all sorts of other arcane stuff going on.
Lewis looked like a real cool cat throughout, never loosening his tie or unbuttoning his jacket no matter how cool his guitar playing gets. And he is a fine player as are his sisters, both of whom were in very tight 50's style dresses that you'd expect to see Yma Sumac pictured wearing.
The biggest cheer of the night greeted Going Up The Country the bands first big hit. Lewis came on all Jimmie Rodgers sans the yodelling thankfully on I'm Coming Home: a good old school country heartbreak song that just helped the band get ready for the final tune of Say You'll be Mine that they really made the most of. It had some long instrumental breaks as the band slowly left the stage one by one. By the time they were all gone the place erupted to get them back.
Then encore was a long version of What Quid that saw first Lewis uand Kitty trading licks between Lewis on the piano and Kitty on guitar and then Lewis and Tan Tan on his trumpet. The musicianship was very impressive as each of them mimicked the other's phrase and finally the rest of the band came in to close the show. Yet another great gig by Kitty Daisy & Lewis. I hope to see them again soon as they are still one of the best young live bands around.
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