DOOMSDAY OUTLAW / DAXX & ROXANE / SURRGE
Iron Road Pershore 11/10/19
Live review by; DeeDee
Headed down to THE IRON ROAD to watch four bands, however one pulled out, so there was a last minute change to the running order. With an England football match showing on the screens in the bar, first band SURRGE played to only a few early punters. However, the young band from Stratford Upon Avon, fronted by the soulful and graceful Autumn Golding, were quite impeccable. Autumn’s wide range is backed by melodic trashy guitar from Tom Feasey. The sound is heavy and vibrant, there were some amazing moments that created a lovely atmosphere. Nath Conn on bass and drummer James Davies, complete the lineup. Definitely ones to watch.
Main support comes from the affable DAXX & ROXANE, who wowed the HRH crowd recently at the Sleaze Festival. Bearing in mind the audience is a bit thin tonight, this doesn’t stop D&R from pulling out all the stops. As we ride through ‘Girl Next Door’ and Ticket To Rock’ both from the 2017 album, guitarist Cal Wymann cavorts around the stage and surrounding tables, falling off at one point and just managing to stay on his feet. So much energy and so cool to watch, he even plays standing on Luca Senaldi’s bass drum for while. Rhythm guitarist Simon Golaz also wizzes around with gusto, so the effect is totally absorbing. ‘Lust And Love’ is a 12 bar blues number that lets you drool over Cedric Pfister’s vocals and although the pace slows, it takes nothing away from the bands ability to keep your eyes firmly glued on them. ’Interstellar’ is the new single that should appear on album 2, currently in progress. Don Airey of Deep Purple guests on the recorded version. It’s a bouncy rocker and again Cedric, who also plays bass, proves his vocal range is quite outstanding. The cover of ‘Rock And Roll Outlaw’ by ‘Rose Tattoo’ is a pleasant surprise and then we get more off the ’Ticket To Ride’ album. ’What Was’, ‘Good Vibes’ and Wrong Side’ are all regulars on the D&R setlist. The 4 Swiss guys, now based in London, have come a long way over the last couple of years, now seen more regularly on bills and having support slots like tonight, it won’t be long before they are even more in demand.
Formed in 2015 the Derby based 5 piece DOOMSDAY OUTLAW first attracted my attention at the Breaking Bands festival a couple of years ago. Groove infused blues rock with pumping riffs and the charismatic frontman Phil Poole, they stood out from the crowd. Tonight we hear mostly a mixture from the 2 excellent albums, ’Suffer More’ and ‘Hard Times’. Early on ‘Come My Way’ reminds me how infectious this band are. ‘Bring It On Home’ has guitar with hooks and a chorus that mellows it all out. The way they put the brakes on full, to start ‘Tale Of A Broken Man’ allows a short interlude, before the riffing from Steve Broughton gets underway. Bassist Indy Chanda, is pretty dominant, the low strumming adds that unique vibe that only Doomsday Outlaw can deliver. A precise guitar solo to finish just wraps it up perfectly. The album title track ‘Hard Times’ is belted out with Zeppelin type stomp. Then ‘All That I have’ and ‘Bring You Pain’ from ‘Suffer More’ continue the Southern Swamp approach. ‘Over And Over’ brings the show to a finale. No doubt destined for more festivals and gigs soon, if you haven’t seen them yet, I do recommend them.
4/5