Gig Review: Eddie 9V The Black Heart, Camden, London

Gig Review: Eddie 9V The Black Heart, Camden, London

By Simon Green

The Black Heart is a pub located a stone’s throw from Camden Tube Station in London and is one of those ‘down the road and around the corner’ venues that isn’t the easiest to find at first. Downstairs in the bar there are all sorts of nooks and crannies to sup your drink in, and there seems plenty of room. Walking up the rickety stairs to the venue, audience members find themselves disconcertingly in a smaller space that doesn’t equate to the square footage of the downstairs area. It’s one of the peculiarities of the venue.

Another distinguishing feature of the venue is the low-key stage lighting that barely illuminates half of the members of whatever band is on stage and makes audience members probably wish they had brought a miner’s helmet or similar to light the way in the gloom. Regardless of these factors the Black Heart regularly puts on some fine acts and is a great little intimate venue to see live music (for a photographer, however, it’s a heart breaking venue that makes you want to cry into your beer!). The two acts scheduled for the evening, a UK band and a touring band visiting from the US, had both been part of Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea in the Mediterranean the summer before.

Support act, UK west country band the True Strays, played an entertaining short set; their time was cut short due to their late arrival, after being delayed in traffic en-route to London. After a brief interval it was time for Eddie 9V, who had been playing some dates in France before undertaking a short tour across the UK. Last out onstage was frontman Brooks Kelly, who was taking no chances with the English weather, sporting a long leather coat, wooly hat and shades (a fashion accessory that in the Black Heart was as useful as making a blind man wear a blindfold). The band hails from Atlanta, so the local, damp weather was probably a bit of a shock; however, the band soon got things warmed up (and, needless to say, Brooks was down to a T shirt by the end of the show).

For those unfamiliar with Eddie 9V, they’ve been around for a few years but are still a relatively new outfit; they were founded by singer and guitarist Brook Kelly and his bass playing brother Lane. After a self-produced blues album, Left My Soul In Memphis, the band came to the attention of Ruf Records in Germany, a label famous for discovering a number of younger, rising blues stars as well as supporting more established acts. Eddie 9V have just released an excellent album, Saratoga, which is the third and final album produced as part of their deal made with Ruf. The word from Brooks is that a record deal is in the offing with a new partner; one that will hopefully help to further their career and widen their audience. So, exciting times ahead for the band. There had definitely been a buzz about the band as a result of their performances on the Bonamassa cruise and I was intrigued to see them in a more earthy setting. They didn’t disappoint.

In a nutshell, they’re a great live band. Brooks is a charismatic front man, possessing a strong soulful voice, able to hit the high notes sweetly. He’s also a fine guitarist, playing tight licks and choppy rhythm as part of the band’s collective groove. He was equally able to really make his Telecaster sing when playing pure blues, as on a fierce version of Freddie King’s ‘56th And Wichita’, on which he displayed a mastery of 1950s guitar styling. What sets the band apart though is the quality of their original songs. As well letting loose on the odd blues cover like Robert Johnson’s ‘Ramblin’ On My Mind’, the band played a selection of songs from across their three Ruf albums, all of which were distinctive enough to make an instant impression. These included: the title track from Little Black Flies (a modern soul classic), the funky ‘Yella Alligator’ (with its chorus of “everybody’s living in the city, but they’re living a lie”) and ‘Missouri’ from the Capricorn album. Naturally enough, selections from their latest album were heavily featured, including three of the big hitters, title track ‘Saratoga’, ‘Love Moves Slow’ and the insanely catchy ‘Halo’ (have a listen and you won’t be able to stop yourself humming the guitar part’).

Chad Mason on keys was a benign presence and filled out the sound as well as shining on several twinkling solos. David Green on drums kept it all together, along with bassist Lane, a strong rhythm section in the shadows at the back of the stage. It was a memorable night and while the band must have played for close to an hour and a half the time seemed to pass in a flash and was over way too soon, which is a good sign. Hopefully we’ll get another chance to see this fine band again when they re-visit these shores. It will be interesting to see whether any new record or promotional deal they sign results in them playing some bigger stages.

Watch “Missouri Eddie”

 
Eddie 9V website