Thursday, December 8, 2022

Midnight Canonball's debut pyrotechnics

Midnight Canonball’s debut gig was explosive. ‘The New Inn’ in Hadlow Down (East Sussex, England) had opened up a former hotel function room from the pub's glory days. From this freezing cold space Midnight Canonball were launched. By the end of the night it seemed like half the village had turned up. Hadlow Down is ordinarily a sedate place that only comes alive for an annual spot of steam engine fetishism.

Midnight Canonball are a self-styled blues and rock n’ roll trio, comprising band leader Neil Grove on guitar, Greg on double-bass, and Jez on drums. In the spirit of rock n' roll, Neil’s new recruits apparently don’t have surnames. The unusual spelling of ‘canonball’ in the band's name is presumably a nod to the musical didacticism that has been Neil's mission ever since his boyhood debut. This young blues guitar-slinging virtuoso carefully explains the musical heritage of each obviously revered number that he then proceeds to unleash on an audience. I totally get this and have been annoyed by incorrect musical references made at some other gigs I've attended. However I suspect the audience at The New Inn didn't care much who wrote or first performed Midnight Canonball’s numerous blues and rock n' roll covers, let alone who might have originally been on bass. As a song that I presume won’t be covered by Midnight Canonball almost has it, ‘When the working day is done they just wanna have fun.’ And fun this audience certainly did have. By the second half of the gig the audience had grown so big that there was barely any room for the those dancing upfront to strut their thang, let alone for a punter to pick their way to the adjacent serving hatch for more pints of heavy.

What about the actual performances though ? This new band’s Facebook page references their breadth of blues covers, and a predisposition for fast rock n’ roll and a touch of rockabilly. That pretty much sums up what Midnight Canonball are about. That, and the ‘choppy rhythmic styles’ that Neil is fond of mining. This was very much emphasised by their take on ‘Goin’ Back Home’, a Dr Feelgood song incorporating, Neil explained, a guitar part originating with Mick Green (of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates) that was sourced by the late, and very great, original Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson. (For my review of a recent Dr Feelgood gig, see below).

There is no doubt that the 21-year-old Neil Grove is an exciting and highly skilled interpreter of vintage electric blues, the rawer side of its ‘baby’, rock n’ roll, and a skilled country blues picker too. He, the deft double-bassist Greg, and solid drummer Jez are very much guns for hire. I’m told a wedding gig will soon be in the offing. Neil, Greg and Jez could in the longer term play some bigger stages than those available in white marquee tents. Perhaps converting the obvious talent of Neil, and maybe that of his sidekicks, into fame and glory requires two steps: writing more of their own material; and Neil sharing some vocal duties, at least when it comes to the band's current repertoire.

I only detected one number on the night that he or the band had written (although I wasn’t there right up until the landlord turned the lights up). The self-penned number was largely a coruscatingly loud and dynamic burst of frenetic guitar soloing by Neil. It was undoubtedly highly exciting but was less a song than a platform for guitar pyrotechnics. 

When he sang Blind Willy McTell's (among other claimants) ‘St James Infirmary’, Neil’s vocal style definitely worked on what in fact is a subtler song with lyrics refreshingly free of the macho male bombast and sexual bravado usually beloved of Blues legends. In fact Neil and the whole band’s performance of this sublime number was masterful. No doubt any song Neil would choose by his vocal inspiration, Howlin’ Wolf, would though suit his fairly gruff singing style. I was less convinced by his vocal style though when it came to some of the other songs that the band performed on the night, for example those associated with Muddy Waters and Bill Haley and the Comets. By contrast the finger-picking country blues instrumental (‘Guitar Rag’ by Sylvester Weaver) that Neil played in the first set was for me the highlight of the gig.

Song-writing of the narrative kind requires hard work and inspiration in equal measure. It’s what in the 1960s transformed much of popular music from crooners and family entertainers, to the bands that made up the amorphous beast that we still call ‘rock’. To teach yourself guitar to Neil's high-end level AND to be told to think, together with your band mates, of generating a lot more original material is a major, major ask. It may simply be a matter of time. The sharing of vocal duties with another singer might round out the band's sound in the shorter term. After all, there are many fine examples in rock history of band leaders and lead guitarists not being the band’s main singer: Pete Townshend for one comes to mind. Not a bad pedigree perhaps. Townshend, as could Grove, sung when the song was right for his style and range. Maybe stepping forward requires stepping back a little.

None of this though takes away from what was a great night and a great band debut led by a great guitarist. The second favourite moment for me came toward the end of the second set when Neil’s mum, and veteran musician, Vanessa Grove joined him for an instrumental duo; she on spoons. I saw quite a few open-jawed looks of wonder among younger punters. Yes, music really can be this good.

 

 

 

 

 

4 comments:

  1. A Canon is a musical form and compositional technique, based on the principle of strict imitation, in which an initial melody is imitated at a specified time interval by one or more parts.
    I get that the front mans raw singing was not a personal style favorite of the reviewer but to suggest he needs a singing instructor is a rather harsh statement for a young musician, finding his feet, to read. I am a seasoned vocalist myself and this young man sang every note in perfect key, not a waiver and with some advanced vocal techniques thrown in. I hope that he can have the confidence in his singing ability to rise above, so difficult for one starting out.

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  2. Yeah… that’s a really mean comment. Perhaps says more about the reviewer than the reviewed!

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  3. I was at this gig too and it was phenomenal. A debut gig for three musicians who were evidently enjoying themselves and creating an atmosphere that was an absolute joy to be part of. So I wouldn’t take much notice of this. The reviewer doesn’t like your voice? So what? He doesn’t like some of the guitar pyrotechnics? So what? It’s only one person’s opinion and I doubt the others in that room would agree.

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  4. The band name spelling dropping an 'n' in cannon is deliberate. A Canon is a particular musical composition where one musician exchanges and spars melodies with another.The best known classical is Pachelbels Canon. Songs sung in rounds like Pick a Bale of Cotton, Row Row Row Boat are vocal equivalent of a Canon. Hence Midnight Canonball.
    Rocking good gig, great energy. Can't wait to see more.

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