King King & Sari Schorr, Tramshed Cardiff
Walking into the Tramshed in Cardiff is always a pleasant experience especially when it's to see a band who have been treading the boards for 10 years now and are heralded as one of the best live acts around. With most of the crowd still on a high from the previous evenings Thunder show in St Davids Hall, it was the amount of t-shirts that told the story, another hearty dose of rock blues n roll was what was needed albeit this time firmly plugged in, a stark comparison to the previous evenings more laid back shenanigans.
As we arrived in the Tramshed the support act, Brooklyn native Sari Schorr (7) had kicked off the evening with some feisty, vivacious blues rock n roll as she opened with The New Revolution commanding the stage getting lost in her own world as her top notch band cranked out the blues jams sometimes swinging her hair so much that she almost crashed into her guitarist and bassist respectively. The set was drawn from her most recent album mainly with a couple of covers thrown in the most well known being Ready For Love by Bad Company which was a pretty faithful recreation getting the older crowd going with something they knew well. Sari's voice is brilliant, soulful with the right amount of grit perfect for the blues music she clearly dedicates herself too. Some would say an ideal appetizer to the headline act a Sari Schorr show in a smaller, intimate venue where they can all really let rip would be a thing to behold.
The room filled more after the obligatory smoke/loo/bar break and the headliners took to the stage as AC/DC blared out of the PA. Already getting the crowd involved from the off, the kilted Alan Nimmo kicked into Broken using strutting riffs and his hard rock bluesy vocals to kick the set off properly. This was the first song of the night and already the partisan crowd were singing every word of the bands hard rock undercut with heavy dose of the blues. Nimmo's guitar playing and vocals were on point, especially when you consider the issues he's had with his throat in the past. This was the bands tenth anniversary tour and it was both a celebration and farewell, the band have moved onto bigger and better things for the future which has unfortunately meant that this would be the final tour for founder member/bassist Lindsey Coulson, he cuts a well dressed, cool figure at the side of the stage providing the anchor for all of the songs played, allowing Nimmo and John Dyke to duel with guitar and keys, while also keeping Wayne Proctor nice and steady behind the kit.
Tracks such as Lose Control, the funky Rush Hour, the blues exploration of Stranger To Love got the rockers on side while they dipped into the other facets of their sound with the poppy Coming Home (Rest Your Eyes) which carries more than a whiff of Phil Collins. The Cardiff choir was in full voice, probably warmed up due to Thunder or the rugby singing Rush Hour with so much gusto that Nimmo didn't bother to finish the song letting the Tramshed do the work. I've heard numerous times that King King (8) are one of the best live bands around and you can see why people would think that, their smooth Bad Company meets Thunder grooves are written for the Planet Rock demographic who enjoyed every minute of it, personally I did think they are a little safe, but I'm in the minority clearly. I must admit I love a bit of blues rock myself and King King were up there with the best. It will be interesting whether they stick to their blues past or move forward with the hooky rock style now they are entering the next phase of their career.
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