Jack J Hutchinson & Gallows Circus
Leo’s Red Lion, Gravesend - 6th March 2020
Live review by; Myk
It’s been a long time coming but at last I’ve got around to putting pen to paper on my last live gig before lockdown.
On the night the bad news was that for circumstances beyond their control Stone Thieves couldn’t make it. However, as a bonus both Gallows Circus and Jack J Hutchinson agreed to extend their sets.
First up were Kent based Gallows Circus (https://www.gallowscircus.co.uk/) regulars at the Red Lion, although it was my first time seeing them. What a treat with their infectious blues rock reminiscent of the Black Crowes and Free. Singer Ian Day’s easy interaction with the crowd and honest banter regarding the extended set, at times leaving him not quite sure what was next, but each song he nailed with ample support from Ben Attwood on guitar, Richard Tunbridge on bass and Steve Kitchener on drums. A great cover of ‘Come Together’ gave the large crowd an opportunity to sing along. The band were certainly enjoying themselves when a tray of shots appeared and were duly consumed with the aid of a few audience members. A cracking set and surely a full length album can’t be far away.
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https://www.facebook.com/GallowsCircus/
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Band Members;
Ian Day - Vocals
Ben Attwood - Guitar
Steve Kitchener - Drums
Richard Tunbridge - Bass
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Next up is the Jack J Hutchinson band (https://jackjhutchinsonmusic.com/) with Jack cutting an imposing figure with hair nearly to his waist, a substantial beard and trademark hat making him look like a modern day Grizzly Adams. The set unsurprisingly is heavily geared towards the latest album ‘Who Feeds The Wolf?’ with the initial trio of songs ‘Justified’, ‘Haunted Bones’ and the slightly mellower ‘Kiss Your Ass Goodbye’ showcasing what a great album it is.
‘Peace Of Mind’ just emphasized this further, before a step back in time with ‘Deal With The Devil’, then the sublime ‘Wake Up’ with Jack’s fingers flying over the frets with such a great feel for the blues infused rock, the extended number included a great drum solo from the impressive Felipe Amorim before Lazarus Michaelides chipped in with his own funky bass solo. This highlighted that this is a real band, greater than the sum of its parts and not just a platform for Jack.
It all slowed down again for the emotionally charged ‘I Will Follow You’ a personal song about the suffering inflicted by dementia.
Then in total contrast a wailing siren led into an epic cover of ‘War Pigs’ with Jack striding into the crowd to unleash a blistering solo.
New song ‘World On Fire’ kept up the intensity before Ian Day of Gallows Circus joined them on stage for a cracking rendition of ‘Oh Well’.
I’m sure I’ve missed a few songs out but there was a personal favourite of mine ‘Boom!’ before we ended with ‘Sleep, Awake, Obey!’ with enthusiastic crowd interaction and set closer ‘Rattlesnake Woman’ saw Jack once again stepping through the audience, bringing a brilliant set to a glorious conclusion.
The Red Lion (https://www.facebook.com/leosredlion) has put on so many great nights and this surely was one of the best, 5 out of 5.
Hopefully it won’t be long before we can get back out to witness live performances and support the bands once more, but for now we are getting plenty of opportunities to see these guys live, albeit via the web. Jack J Hutchinson (https://www.facebook.com/JackJHutchinsonBand/) and Ian Day (https://www.facebook.com/GallowsCircus/) are particularly active with regular sessions being broadcast, so take a look.
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Jack J Hutchinson Band are:
Jack J Hutchinson (vocals and guitar)
Lazarus Michaelides (bass)
Felipe Amorim (drums)
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