Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast and The Boneshakers Deliver a Blues-Rock Triumph

Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast live review

Review written by Nigel Foster Photos by Ken Jackson

This was a bonafide double header with both bands being given 90 minute sets and as a result those of lucky enough to have procured a ticket were thoroughly spoiled with 3 hours of magnificent magnetic music. It is no surprise this one sold out months ago and within hours of being announced.

When you consider both bands and their performances last night there are some immediate parallels and these are;

Both bands last week released new albums to world. Caitlin Krisko And The Broadcast have given us Heirloom and The Boneshakers dropped Pull Up The Roots;

Both bands are as cool and stylish as hell and it is an effortless natural cool that they possess;

In Caitlin and Jenny the two bands have the two most charismatic and damned right sassy front women on the independent scene. It then goes without saying that the two leading ladies have awesome voices that span the vocal register;

That same cool tag can easily be applied to the two six string protagonists in the bands, Aaron Austin and Randy Jacobs and of course they possess all the chops, riffs and solos any guitarist needs;

Then the bands have two of the tightest and grooviest rhythm sections you could ever imagine. And don’t think this quartet lack anything on the cool front either.

Wherever you may have found yourself in the packed room you could not fail to notice and feel the energy and chemistry both within and between the two bands. It oozed from the stage and drew us in to become part of the white hot atmosphere. So much so that the 3 hours that was crammed full of superb music literally flew by. Were our appetites sated after this aural onslaught? HELL NO, we would readily have stayed another 3 hours and I get the feeling the bands felt the same but Richard has to observe the local authority curfew rules and we didn’t want the local authority suits slapping a fine on our host.

If anyone left the club without an ear to ear smile on their faces I would like to ask them what else they expected from the gig.

In summary here I think the statement ‘beautiful people make beautiful music’ fully applies, indeed I would say that is ‘a fact.’ Both bands are so wholly committed to their music and wholly committed to giving their all and entertaining their audience at a gig. Last night they achieved that 100%.The set delivered perfectly by Caitlin and the boys endorsed their status on the scene as high end purveyors of rock ‘n’ roll that bleeds some cool blues.

The band assumed their positions dialed up the groove that Caitlin picked up and swayed onto the stage and once in tandem the quartet dived headlong into the metronomic rocker Piece Of You. Drum and bass pulses set the tone, Aaron sent down shards of licks and Caitlin threw down an edgy searching vocal.

The one cover in the set, Drown In My Own Tears by the great Ray Charles that Caitlin declared as one of her favourite songs allowed the band to show their mastery of slow blues, ebbing and flowing rhythms, stretched taut lead guitar runs fed into Caitlin’s deeply soulful vocal. Hole In My Heart from the new album had the same coda and featured a soaring melodic solo from Aaron and a honey thick vocal from Caitlin.

Loss Of Control is a set list staple and it is no wonder why and last night it opened out into a sumptuous sonic soundscape. A deep brooding rhythm section opening gave way to a tight lead break in turn gave way to Caitlin’s smouldering voice. As a collective it was like a storm brewing and the storm erupted with Aaron raining down a rabid torrent of crying then screaming notes.

Now few if any contemporary rock infused bands can cut a radio friendly rocker like Caitlin Krisko And The Broadcast and we got a killer triple shot of these with the hook and slam dunk groove laden Let It Ride, Everything I Need and Heart Of Gold that got serious airplay on Planet Rock. These rocked on greased rails with the rhythm section pulses, the jagged and fazed riffs and the power drive vocals of course we had to join in too.

Caitlin called Jenny to the stage and together the two sirens looked and sounded uber cool jumping on the grooves and licks and swapping vocal histrionics.

The band finished their fabulous set and were greeted with a deserved standing ovation.