The Plain Steel
The Plain Steel
Aster Nox
Will Henderson
Vertagogo (The Glad Stone Tavern)
Saturday, March 2nd @ 8pm
$10
Having spent most of February in the extended dance mix 12inch of the Coronavirus, I was relieved to get out of the house and see a show.
As always, full transparency here. Before the gig I had not listened to any of the bands on the bill, my only connection being a chance meeting with Jason Sanislo of The Plain Steel. On this note, I went in blind (not literally).
Unfortunately, the show was sparsely attended, and stayed that way until the last note of the evening. Who knows what factors contributed to this lack of a crowd, but the bands pressed on. I think a low turnout can affect a band’s performance, energy wise, not necessarily in the technical sense. Speaking personally here, having an audience (especially if they are receptive!) of a decent size really seems to give energy to the evening. Playing to three people including the bartender and door person does take away some of the magic, no matter how positive a spin one can put on it. There were more people present, but you get the idea.
Again, as an experiment, I did not listen to any of the artists/ bands on any platform, nor have I ever seen any of them live. I arrived at Vertagogo a blank slate.
Will “Wilko” Henderson
I arrived early enough to see some of the acts do sound check. Will Henderson, a slip of a lad, would be playing a set of covers that evening. To my surprise, he sound checked with Dr. Feelgood’s “She Does it Right”, and certainly did it right! Spot on vocals and guitar, along with an impromptu Wilko Johnson dance midway through the tune. I couldn’t believe my old and battered ears. I had a brief chat with the young man and found him versed in a lot of British pub rock, or which the Feelgoods were a leading light.
Will’s set was well-chosen and executed, as he brought a lot of power with only his guitar and voice. Some highlights included The Special’s “Daning of a New Era” and another Dr. Feelgood tune, “In the City”, accompanied by the “Wilko” dance again (Check out YouTube, you’ll be glad you did).
All in all, Mr. Henderson was a great opener, putting his own spin on some classic Jam covers along with the aforementioned highlights. A class act—watch out for this young man (in a good way!). He’s also in a ska band, The Checkerboards, who are playing at Vertagogo on April 7. Dig it, if you can!
Aster Nox
This young (ish) quintet really had their act in order. I particularly enjoyed the interplay between the baritone sax and the keyboards (some classic B2 sounds). Very often horn players want to play all the time, which can detract from their impact overall. Otherwise, solid musicianship, although I believe they were breaking in a new bass player (body language tells a story!), but not to worry, everything came off just fine. Harkening back to the bigger groups of the 70s, their originals included a county stomp called “Stone Cold Hippy Hearts”, and a very prog-rock tune entitled “Some Day We’ll All be Ghosts” (at least I thought that’s what it was called!). Once again, the band had a nice balanced mix of talented players. The closing number, “I’m a Man” pushed a lot of soul out—it reminded me of the Steve Winwood/ Traffic version in groove and delivery.
Perhaps the low energy of the night dimmed the band’s shine somewhat, as, at times, things seemed to be a bit bland during their set. They gave their all, but perhaps it was not enough to overcome the general ennui of the evening. That they played hard regardless is testimony to their commitment. I think they are well worth checking out again at another time, another place.
The Plain Steel
Unfortunately, the small audience had started to dissipate before the headlining band came on. From my bag of variables, I would say that being the last band on a Friday night is not always the most desirable position. Additionally, I hadn’t checked to see who/ what else was playing that evening—perhaps I will do so in future.
Again, another group of fine players, with a great feel for dynamics. The song “Troubled Mind” stood out foremost for me, in that it was a qualified anthem, preferably in front of a larger more active crowd. As mentioned previously, my introduction to the band came from guitarist Jason Sanislo. However, I found his guitar either too low in volume or lost in the mix, which was disappointing, as his efforts were somewhat in vain. Otherwise, the band was well rehearsed and professional, but as they played their set a question came to my mind. I began to wonder if the band was more of a backing group for Ross Lizotte, rather than a full ensemble? I started to get a folksy Bon Jovi feel in the interactions between the band and the audience. Lizotte was very much to the fore, with a strong voice and solid guitar playing, while the other members seemed liked sidemen. This kind of setup has always been less than my cup of tea, because I prefer a band to be a band, more like a gang who stick together, all for one, etc., and the band’s performance reflected this disparity.
As for the musicianship, talent and songwriting skills, The Plain Steel have it all, and I am keen to see them, again, in maybe another venue at another time.
I wish I could be more positive about the evening. Perhaps I was the wet towel? Maybe it’s the brain fog? Who knows? There’s certainly no faulting the performers.
*Beer corner—as always at Vertagogo, a fair selection at decent prices. PBR seemed to be the beverage of choice, but as hip as it might be, it still is a little hard on the stomach—just an observation from a grumpy old man*
