author: Guy
BABY WOODROSE (DK) and BUCKANEER (B) in Sojo's
CONCERT REVIEW
While Baby Woodrose ’s second album Money for Soul might lead you to expect
a lot of pop-oriented, psychedelic songs (you’ll have a hard time trying to find an album
that contains so many ‘should-be singles’), it became clear pretty quick that the live version
of the unit is something vastly different (those who were familiar with Lorenzo’s previous band
– On Trial – could’ve seen that coming, of course). From the moment when they stepped on stage
and launched into the massive groove of “Volcano,” the latest album’s mighty closer, it became
obvious these guys had come to rock out with fire and conviction. They delivered about fifteen
songs – picked from both their albums (though only five from Money for Soul), their upcoming
covers album and some new stuff – that gave the audience hardly time to breathe, as one highlight
followed the next. Whereas the stomping “Pouring Water” turned all the heads into metronomes
and “Honeydripper” (suitably announced as “a song about being horny”) made up for the lack of
organ with an extra load of decibels, a few other scorching tracks rocked as fast and furious
as the best punk out there and made you reach for your safety belt. Halfway the set, the band
turned in a bunch of covers taken from Dropout (to be released later this year): “Child of a
Few Hours Is Burning to Death” by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band was turned into a
macabre, stoner-styled monster, “Parchment Farm,” – Mose Allison by way of Blue Cheer! – contained
some deliciously howling solos, while Love’s “My Flash on You” reminded you how exciting 60’s
rock actually could be.
Occasionally, the band toyed around with soft/loud-dynamics, especially when playing stuff from
the first album, Blows Your Mind (basically a solo album), but the majority of the songs were
out there to rock, whether it was the wonderful “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” that proved they
are the heirs of the legendary Nomads, or the soulful “Rollercoaster” that came complete with
ooohz & aaahz, handclaps and an unstoppable party vibe. The band then closed the set
with a mastodon groove that not only contained some blistering riffs, but also damn powerful
skin bashing from drummer Rocco, an Eastern-tinged solo, and a quote from AC/DC, while it gave
the opportunity to each member to completely freak out (especially the bass player Riky, who
looked like Beck’s younger brother, but apparently had studied Pete Townshend’s stage antics
as well). Not getting away with it that easily, the band returned for an encore that simply
continued the excellence: “Living a Dream” and “Spinning Wheels of Fire” were the kind of stuff
somebody like garage-legend and inspiration Fred Cole would surely approve of, while they once
again paid tribute to their influences with a sizzling take on The Painted Faces’ obscure '60's
single “I Lost You in My Mind.” Many bands with such an obsession for ‘60’s rock would make the
mistake to imitate their heroes as closely as possible, but not Baby Woodrose. While firmly rooted
in the Nuggets-tradition, the band’s more than capable of creating their own sound with touches
of soul, high-energy rock and heavy grooves. With a no-nonsense attitude, strong musicianship and
superb songwriting, the band allows for enough spontaneity and pure rock ‘n’ roll to prove that
they’re – indeed – the real deal.
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Buckaneer – a young and local band – did exactly what was expected of them: prepare
the audience for the hard-rocking main act. While they weren’t a stylistic match for
the muscular, psych garage-rock of Baby Woodrose, they delivered their own brand of
melodic, groove-based rock ‘n’ roll with convincing energy. Occasionally, they made you
wonder where you’d heard some parts of it before, but they found a nice balance between
straightforward riff-rockers and less obvious material. About four songs into their set,
for instance, they suddenly kicked off a country-tinged tune, while “A Good Idea” even
boasted a “Spanish” atmosphere. The majority of the songs could be filed under
'alternative rock' though, with the pounding shuffle of “Shadowlight” and "Dixie Dansercoer"
being fine examples of that. All in all, a satisfying set that gave the lead guitarist a
few opportunities to shine with some impressive, fiery solos, and an encore that
unexpectedly proved to be the set’s heaviest song.