
GOMEZ
ASH GRUNWALD
DR. DOG
Big Top, Luna Park
09/01/09
There are plenty of reasons to dismiss Dr. Dog: the shit name, the straw hats and neckerchiefs, their blatantly signposted influences. However, while all the nuances of their music were washed away by the ugly, booming Big Top sound, there was still plenty to enjoy in their country-rock reminiscence. The Philadelphia five-piece’s intelligently-crafted tracks had alternating lead vocals and some were played with bounce while others, like The Breeze, were more slowly built-up.
“I won’t be long dude. It’s alright,” Ash Grunwald joked with a bored-looking Gomez fan in the crowd. With his dreadlocks and shorts, he wouldn’t have looked out of place busking in the tunnel under Central Station, but it wasn’t long before his bone-shaking blues won the crowd over. Half-an-hour and a broken string later, Grunwald made way for a band that seemed to be the main draw for a large section of the crowd.
Gomez received a rapturous reception as they took to the stage. Anyone hoping to hear the big-hits from their debut album, Bring It On, would have been disappointed though, as the band was clearly saving them up for the special tenth anniversary show the following night. Still, Silence and Rhythm & Blues Alibi sounded great. While they might look more like school teachers than rock stars nowadays, new song Back Seat Driver showed they still have fire in their bellies. The most notable aspect of their performance was Ben Ottewell’s vocal. Even ten years after he first unleashed his rich, gravelly voice on an unsuspecting music public, it still sounds extraordinary.

Two scruffy dudes with drums and one guitar doesn’t sound like the kind of music that would be irresistible to dance to, but there didn’t seem to be a single person in the room who could keep still during their hour-long set.
1 comment:
Crap that! Two of my most favourite bands, Gomez and The Black Keys on the one stage and I go and be on the other side of the globe. Bugger.
Dan Auerbach's new solo album Keep It Hid is brilliant. Keep an ear out for it.
Him and Ottewell need to do stuff together... though it might be so gravelly and deep they'd bring a bout of the brown notes – still, might be worth it.
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