Klikofest: A Drunk Night Of Rock 'n' Roll

After a good Record Store Day this day was far from over. We were heading down to Haarlem to spend most of the night with beer and garage rock 'n' roll music at the Patronaat. In short: time for the Klikofest festival!

Klikofest at Patronaat Haarlem, April 20 2013



Little Barrie
I never heard of this band until I reviewed their latest album King Of The Waves, which is full of great rock songs. Although the sound is bad, too much bass and vocals hardly audible, the band give a good show. Singer and guitarist Barrie Cadogan is a typical British front man, a bit cocky but with some tongue in cheek. Drummer Virgil Howe is smiling throughout the whole performance while playing his tight grooves. The songs sound just as convincing as on their record. A good way to start off the night I'd say.
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The Jim Jones Revue
We seem to have gone back in time a few decades, which isn't that awkward at this festival of rock and blues. The many members of The Jim Jones Revue are wearing old fashioned rock 'n' roll suits. That's a good choice since it fits their music. Although well played it kind of gives you the feeling you're at your mom's prom night. It gets a bit weary in the end. Nothing a few more beers can't fix.
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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Time for one of the headliners of the night. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are the biggest band of the night and don't disappoint. Do they ever? Their performance is tight, full of energy and they fire off their blues rock like there's no tomorrow. Set in somewhat darker lighting for most of the show (very bad for pictures) their music grabs you by the balls and won't let go. Like their last album already showed: they are back stronger than ever!
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The Phantom Four
It's getting later and people start to leave. So I find myself at the front of the stage to watch one of my favourite bands from this area. Phantom Frank and his Phantom Four have parted with singer Rudeboy and are back to playing instrumental surf songs. Not just regular surf, but with a twist, mixed with worldy influences. Frank is playing the crowd with ease, putting a spell on everyone with his magical guitar licks. Or is that the beer talking?
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Traumahelikopter
Time to get down and dirty with this garage rock threesome who are taking our nation by storm. More and more people have left the festival by now, but the ones who remain still have plenty of energy left. A mosh pit is forming, which is a perfect setting for this band with their wild punk and rock songs. It's even enough to allow guitar player Daan van Dalen and singer Mark Lada to do some crowd surfing. Wild and dirty indeed!
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Then it's lights out for us. We decide to call it a day, or night actually and skip the rest of the program. This was one hell of a day that definitely went out with a big bang. I'm so there again next year

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Little Barrie Is Riding The Waves Of Good Old Rock Music

The English band Little Barrie is relatively unknown outside the UK. But its members have quite a track record. Front man Barrie Cadogan worked with big artists like Paul Weller, The Chemical Brothers and Primal Scream. Drummer Virgil Howe did a lot of session work and also worked with his father Steve Howe from prog rock band Yes. King of the Waves is their third album and is full of rock 'n' roll songs that could have been recorded fifty years ago. And that's exactly what this threesome wants to sound like: a good old fashioned rhythm 'n' blues band.

Little Barrie - King of the Waves (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
This is clear right from the start with first track 'Surf Hell'. A screaming surf riff and jangling drums are the basis for some pure raw rock. It sounds like everything has been recorded in a garage without being polished up or recording tens of takes. This gives the album a lush authentic sound with a sharp edge. The songs did get enough attention though, since they all sound convincing. It all comes together halfway the record in the excellent 'Now We're Nowhere' with a lovely swinging groove.

When the guys take it a bit more easy, they not surprisingly are leaning more towards the blues. 'Dream To Live' is a laid-back track that floats by gently. When Cadogan isn't singing, his guitar speaks. And he's doing a great job at it. His solos are nice and gritty with lots of echo and distortion and remind of times long gone by. The rhythm section is lively and provides catchy grooves and riffs. One point of criticism is that it all sounds very much in control. The musicians could take more risk now and then and go crazy.

But that's just a minor footnote. The whole album breaths sweaty blues and rock that we know so well from the sixties. Anyone who still suggests that rock is dead should listen to Little Barrie. Maybe they are not breaking any new ground here, but they prove that rock is still alive and kicking. And when it's up to this band, it will stay that way for a long time fortunately.

This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'King of the Waves' on Spotify

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