Gentleman's Dub Club review at Motion in Bristol
Posted on: 2015-02-15
Our rating:
This has to be one of the best gigs I have been to in a while. With the pleasure of reviewing it resting in my hands, I can only urge my fellow Bristolians to follow this band?s travels and experience them live yourself.
Gentleman's Dub Club are certainly one of the biggest names on the dub/reggae scene right now, and clearly not without good reason. Friday's gig struck the winning balance of high energy and deep chill - promoting a good time above all else.
ChainSka Brassika provided a worthy support slot, warming up the already enlivened crowd with a good-sized set of what can only be described as modern-day-Madness. I hadn't found myself acquainted with this band before, but half a song in and I was already jotting their name down for further listening. Warm-up bands are there to do just that. Their job is to ease the crowd into positive vibes and excited apprehension, and ChainSka Brassika really pulled it off. As a minor aside; never in all my time reviewing have I come across a band with such smart shoes. Which in itself scores points with me.
Gentleman’s Dub Club came on stage in a haze of smoke-machine apprehension, whipping the crowd up into an enthusiastic frenzy with their gradual introduction to the stage. When all members had joined and the atmosphere stretched tight – the band launched, without hesitation, into a tirade of their catchiest tunes. Second up was Emergency, one of their most popular songs, as red warning spotlights emanated from centre stage, and front man Jonathan Scratchley bounded up and down, not a single member of the packed out audience was stood still.
The band also performed a number of their other hits, including High Grade, Feels Like, and Fire. A particularly impressive rendition of Music Is The Girl was also notable, and really this band made no mistakes or blunders – just solid tunes for a good hour and a half. One thing I always reference in my reviews, and something I feel is intrinsic to the success and quality of a band, is the rapport between band and audience. With Gentleman’s Dub Club, there isn’t a big, faceless distinction between one and the other – but rather you get the feeling that here is a group of people just having a good time. A smaller part of a larger whole. It’s not a ‘performance’ as much as a celebration of music that links everyone in that room together for a small amount of time. This is rare, but is quite often my favourite thing about live music when it is done right. Seeing this group of lads from Leeds perform such energetic and fun music, you certainly experience a physical compulsion to let your hair down free of judgement, proved in full by the fact that I caught a security guard sheepishly bobbing and swaying behind the stage...!
This has to be one of the best gigs I have been to in a while. With the pleasure of reviewing it resting in my hands, I can only urge my fellow Bristolians to follow this band’s travels and experience them live yourself. Motion was a perfect space to experience their hectic-yet-chill sound, and the whole night came off without a hitch. The band gave the audience every song they wanted to hear, selected a perfect support act, engaged with everyone in a charming manner, and performed to exceptional quality.
5/5
Reviewed by Miri Teixeira for 365Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
