With perfect timing we arrive into the packed room, beer in hand, as the band take to the stage. It’s the third or fourth time we have seen Dawes and after two excellent albums, a patchy third they have hit gold again with the aptly titled All your Favourite Bands and they certainly are one of mine.
They open up with a couple from the new album ‘Can’t think about it ‘ and ‘Right on Time’ and then onto one of my favourite tracks ‘If I wanted Someone’ which is the first sing out loud moment of many that night for this small band of middle aged backing vocalists.
There’s not much banter and it’s a rattle through a good selection of songs across the four albums and even tracks from ‘Stories Don’t End’ hold their own against the more established set pleasers. A storming version of ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ gets the crowd going but it’s the epic ‘When my Time Comes’ that brings the house down and is responsible for many a sore throat the next day.
This is a band on top form musically at the moment with some great pop songs and Taylor Goldsmiths sublime voice that reminds you of so many great singers from Elton John to Jackson Browne. Their music has all of the hallmarks of seventies Laurel Canyon but brought bang up to date.
After probably one too many beers, the merry band of musical brothers decant to the station agreeing this was the best we have seen them and luckily I have only a couple of weeks before I do it again as they support My Morning Jacket. It’s my fourth five star gig of a very good year.
Keep on rockin’ y’all