#notjustyouraveragejoe

[plungermusic]

Not just your average Joe...

... not just your average ‘backing band’ either!

Joe Anderton’s debut London appearance was a pleasant surprise for any ‘young-guitar-slinger-phobes’... Backed by the considerable talents of Andy Hayes and Dave Tettmar (ex Southern Slide) on rhythm guitar and drums respectively and Trev Turley (of Bare Bones Boogie Band and Malaya Blue) on bass, Joe turned out a set that avoided most of the cliché tropes of the scene.

From fresh Cream flavours in the stylish, complex drumming, grinding rhythm guitar and bass, and slow, spacey chorus topped with a raw solo of Sundance to reggae-lite of She’s So Mean, and from hazy trippiness in their cover of Neil Young’s two-chord stoner anthem Down By The River to the shambling unhurried Grateful-Dead-do-Miss-You vibe of Don’t Let Me Be Lonely the band showed a flair for the unexpected.

Joe’s guitar steered clear of any I’m-faster-than-you histrionics, and there were some nice touches in the jammy noodling midbreak of Down By The River and  thankfully Elmore-James-rip-off-free fuzzy slide adorning Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, while the band displayed a sure hand with shifting dynamics and timing as you’d expect from musicians of their class.

Joe could maybe use a little work on his vocals to add a bit of meat to the grittier numbers but if he keeps on in this vein (and holds onto his band) he’s definitely worth a listen.