Over here in support of their new album ‘Changing Colours’ they band straight into ‘I’ve got a hole where my heart should be’ track 2 of said album. There follows a blistering twenty odd song set of perfect 3 minute country rockin tunes. Nothing outstays its welcome as they rattle through most of the new album and assorted oldies from their back catalogue.
Its high tempo stuff and there is little time to draw breath before we are launched straight back into another storming track. The band are fine musicians with multi instrumentalists within their ranks as we add pedal steel and trombone to the usual backdrop of lead, rhythm, organ, bass and drums.
I am coming quite late to the Sheepdogs having only been aware of them for a couple of years but clearly word has got round at a sold out Lexington, still the best small venue in London. The stars aligned tonight with a great band, good sound and the audience being up for it. There’s a good bit of banter when each member of the band is name checked and even the roadie, ‘Pooch’, got a mention which led to a lot of terrace chanting for him.
We blast through the best part of two hours and musically they really are a blackbird of a band collecting riffs and influences throughout with shades of Skynyrd, the Allmans, Gram, even the great Canadian rock band Triumph taking in straight country, southern boogie, Laurel Canyon rock amongst others. But they do it all in their own style and pull it off handsomely.
Highlights for me include opening track from the new album ‘Nobody’ and ‘Bad Lieutenant’ and ‘Downtown’ from ‘Future Nostalgia’ with the night ending with a great version of the Allman’s ‘Ramblin Man’
A thoroughly enjoyable evening of great feel good music. Till the next time keep on country rockin’ y’all