Concert Review: JJ Grey & Mofro, Islington Assembly Hall, London

Concert Review: JJ Grey & Mofro, Islington Assembly Hall, London

By Simon Green

JJ Grey & Mofro are frequently described as incorporating different musical genres into their sound, “country soul” being one of the categories commonly applied to them. However, the truth is that they have a distinctly unique sound, which has been tailored to fit the memorable songs of their charismatic front man and band leader, JJ Grey, like a bespoke musical glove. Although it’s hard to imagine the band ever phoning it in, they were in scintillating form at the Islington Assembly Hall in London.

Support act Eddie Smith & The 507 were the perfect complement to get the crowd in the mood for the headliner JJ Grey & Mofro, taking a similarly soulful approach to their material. But Mofro were in a different class altogether. These seasoned musicians played with all the skill and togetherness of an established championship-winning sports team; they were hot, straight out of the blocks and played at full tilt to the final whistle.

The set started with JJ Grey blowing some powerful harp on a darkened stage, with his large band further back in the shadows. When the full band kicked in, their collective power was incredible, producing a huge wall of sound from the two-man horn section, a drummer and a conga player, bassist and guitarist as well as keyboards and two charming backing singers.

The songs JJ Grey & Mofro played on this evening contained many of their most popular tracks, including songs from their recent album ‘Olustee,’ which have become live favourites, like the album’s title track, ‘Top Of The World’ (played with a simmering groove that typifies their sound) and the downright funky ‘Rooster’.

A lot of their songs have an anthemic quality, which, like all anthems, are based on strong, melodic choruses that build from a quieter start. JJ Grey spoke frequently to the crowd during the set, commanding the stage with an easy confidence and inciting audience participation. His song lyrics are frequently narrative tales describing his life growing up and living in Florida, which give the songs a gritty authenticity which easily engaged the audience.

JJ Grey’s concern for the ecology of his home state was laid out in similar fashion to opening lines of ‘Olustee’: “Way back, Lord, in ’98, I remember when the whole state, was on fire, breathing ash, breathing ash, falling down like burning rain…” not unlike the powerful ‘Lochloosa’; “…all we need is one more damn developer, tearing her heart out…”. His writing style is both tough and poetic. The audience was going crazy during this song, which highlighted the range and strength of JJ Grey’s voice, moving from a controlled low growl to a long sustained high note. The two backing singers also took turns to sing the chorus during an engaging extended vocal section in the song, the band keeping the pot boiling behind them.

Individual band members got their moments in the spotlight: Pete Winders playing some tasty lead guitar on the break in the hypnotically catchy ‘Orange Blossoms (but, otherwise, mainly kept it tight rhythmically); Marcus Parsley on trumpet played a haunting, long solo on the majestic ‘Seminole Wind’. Bassist Todd Smallie was given an extended solo spot as the rest of the band trooped off stage; he was accompanied only by drummer Craig Barnette who then had his own extended solo spot with conga player Eric Mason. This sort of thing can get tedious but their playing combined technical flair with musical creativity, while maintaining the energy of the evening. Eric Brigmond on keyboards (and occasional trombone) played with great sensitivity all night and his piano work was also a feature of ‘Seminole Wind’.

The evening passed by all too quickly, even with the band playing for about ten minutes short of two hours. An amazing performance that concluded with a rousing version of ‘The Sun Is Shining Down’ after a message of positivity from the stage, the crowd singing along at full volume with little encouragement. The singing became even more fervent on the “na, na, na,na” section of ‘Brighter Days’ after the band returned for a triumphant encore. This was one of those evenings that will live in the memory for a long time due to the communal energy created by the spirit and stage presence of JJ Grey and his superb band, and a collection of songs that are among the best country, soul, blues, rock, funk and pop songs you’ll ever hear.

Watch JJ Grey & Mofro “Orange Blossoms”

 
JJ Grey & Mofro website