When rock'n'roll was shaken from its pre-punk complacency by the emergence of Dr. Feelgood, it
was their guitarist Wilko Johnson who excited most attention – not only for the startling violence of
his stage performance (which was to inspire countless imitators and become one of the classic images
of rock'n'roll) but also for his guitar style which combined the roles of lead and rhythm guitar in
driving riffs and a stuttering machine gun frenzy which altered conceptions of 'guitar heroics'. As a
songwriter too – from early Feelgood favourites like 'Back in the Night' to the power and poetry of
'Dr. Dupree' and 'Sneaking Suspicion' he has proved himself one of the best and most original
exponents of rhythm'n'blues styles this side of the Atlantic. The list of '70s New Wave bands who
acknowledge the influence of Wilko and the Feelgoods is extensive and includes The Clash, The Sex
Pistols, The Jam, The Boomtown Rats, and across the Atlantic The Ramones and Blondie (who spent
a whole night at a New York party wearing out their specially imported copy of the Feelgood's first
album, 'Down by the Jetty').
After his abrupt departure from Dr. Feelgood in 1977 Wilko formed his own band, and over the next
few years worked with several personnel of varying degrees of musical accomplishment and mixed
moral character. In 1980, while continuing to work with his own 3-piece, Wilko entered the ranks of
Ian Dury's brilliant Blockheads, co-writing writing several songs with Ian and featuring on the
'Laughter' album. Then in 1985 the Block's sensational and much loved bassist Norman Watt-Roy
joined Wilko, and when Monti took over the drums in 1999, the classic Wilko Johnson Band had
arrived. They have never been off the road since and have startled and blasted audiences from
Helsinki to Madrid, Aberdeen to Istanbul, Toulouse to Tokyo. Monti's stool at the drums has recently
been taken by the much revered Dylan Howe, also of the Blockheads, and this has raised the band to
an even greater level of musical mastery and manic brilliance.
In 2008 the highly acclaimed film director Julien Temple set out to make a documentary film about
the birth and all too brief phenomenon of Dr. Feelgood ('Oil City Confidential', to be launched in
October). He could not have imagined that in the course of filming he would meet 'one of the great
English eccentrics' (his words) in the person of Wilko. So fascinated was he by this discovery that the
project has gone way beyond completion date (and budget) in order to accommodate the many facets
of this extraordinary character, the unexpected hero of the film. As a result of all this, there has
recently been a renewed frenzy of interest in Wilko: watch out for some surprising developments in
the near future.....
The Jim Jones Revue play a special XFM 14+ show at The Barfly in Camden this Monday. The show will be recorded and broadcast on John Kennedy's XFM Xposure radio show throughout November.
"Inspired by the classic guitar driven blues rock of the late 60's
and 70's, UK power trio Devils Creek seem intent on keeping alive the
time honored tradition first forged by greats such as Rory Gallagher,
Alvin Lee and Ten Years After and Status Quo years ago.
Formed in 2006, led by guitarist/vocalist Guy Rosewall, featuring a
crack rhythm section in bassist Tim Chapple and drummer Alan Ibbotson,
their 2008 debut album 'Bullfrog Blues' combined a classic approach
with an attack favored by heavy rock, particularly evident in the ultra
heavy bass sound not normally heard in the genre.
Featuring a hard driving electric version of Rory Gallagher's "Seven
Days" which would surely make the late great Irish guitarist proud, the
entire offering is a solid testament to the enduring power and
influence of blues inflected rock - especially the variety in which a
wailing Fender Strat comes front and center.
Now in the middle of sessions for their second studio album, several
tracks being already available for preview on the band's MySpace page
it's quite clear based on the fresh evidence on display that these
three aren't likely to stray from their vision any time in the
foreseeable future" - (Nightwatcher's House of Rock November 2009)
Captain Storm en apéro acoustique, concert dînatoire aux Tontons Flambeurs
Le mercredi 25 novembre 2009 de 18 h 30 à 21 h
8, rue de la Main-d'Or,
75011 Paris
01 45 05 37 17
“Lights Of My Town” et “If I Could” Salle des Fêtes de la Place des Fêtes !!!!
Thank you very much for the Link Up & Sharing Your Music
Nice to meet you through cyberlink!
Keep up the Great Work!
Wishes you All the Best in 2009!
Enjoy your Week
tremendous show at the 100 club last night, thank you so much (and well done for stepping in when Norman got hackled)
I took my friend along who had not seen your band live before - oh man it was such a thrill watching her getting gripped by the Wilko experience; at one point she asked "Where are the other musicians?" as she could not believe that 3 guys alone could sound so complete.
what a joy warmest regards, consider yourself hugged
In protest of legislation which prohibits the free sharing of music (such as the "Hadopi" law in France) and against conformism in today's music industry, we offer 3 complete albums free for listening and downloading on our myspace page : http://www.myspace.com/spiritofthematter
Online Now!
