Gig Reviews: Louis Barabbas and The Bedlam Six with special guest John Otway @ The Dancehouse Theatre, Manchester 5/02/2011

by AdamTogether

The Dancehouse Theatre is the perfect venue for tonight’s show which sees Manchester’s Louis Barabbas and The Bedlam six record their live album in celebration of the release of their latest record Get Religion! The venue suits the occasion in that it is kind of shabby looking, in need of a touch of paint, yet full of character and charm.

Usually a venue for ballet, it is certainly an interesting venue to watch a band, as the all seating format forces you to sit and watch, and absorb every moment of the show. That’s what tonight is, a show, a performance to be watched, not just a band knocking out a few tunes to a dance floor of people spilling beer over each other and jump around like lunatics (don’t get me wrong, the band are just as good at putting on that kind of gig).

Tonight is a special occasion, not just any other gig, and you can tell from the start that the band have poured themselves into making it happen. They are a band who know the value of giving something extra to the fans, and as a band who really come into their as a live act, what better way to do that than by recoding a live album. The bargain £8 ticket price not only gets you a seat at the show, but a copy of the album when it’s finished, and your name in the liner notes. It’s these little touches that prove why Louis Barabbas and The Bedlam Six, with their mix of folk, rock and swing, are one of Manchester’s best loved local bands.

They open the show in style with a half hour set of their classics and from the start you can see the hard work that’s gone into preparing for the show. The sound is stunning, each of the septet’s instruments brought together to create a rich and layered tone, especially Biff Roxby’s bright and brassy trombone, bright and brassy, and Tom Cleghorn’s crisp and punchy drums.

Stand out tunes from the first set were the sublime country and western tinged Shards of Glass in which the band show off their deep understanding of dynamics and texture, and the rowdy crowd favourite The Tell Tale Hound which sees Louis running round the audience, howling and panting like the mad dog of a man possessed and clearly knackering himself in the process. Female vocalist Ally is effortlessly sexy, perfectly playing the part of the sultry mistresses and sirens that appear in many of the songs.

Next up is a special guest appearance by ‘rock and roll’s greatest failure’ John Otway, a true british eccentric who has the audience in stitches with his delightfully mad mix of music, spoken word and mad professorship. Throughout his set he is aided, with the help of his roadie/sidekick Deadly, by a number of inventions and contraptions, such as a double necked guitar, a theremin, a drum machine that fits into his trousers and a switch that makes the mic cut out, to give authenticity to his lament to poor mobile phone reception.  He plays all his ‘hits’, from Really Free (and it’s B side Beware of the Flowers which apparently sold just as many copies as the A side, and came 7^th in a BBC pole of the greatest lyrics of all time) through to Bunsen Burner/Burn Baby Burn for which The Bedlam Six join him on stage as his backing band, and you can clearly see they’re loving every minute of it.  Finally they assist him in bringing the house down with a brilliant rendition of The Osmonds’ Crazy Horses.

After the interval Louis Barrabas and The Bedlam Six return to the stage for their second set, comprised of more oft played fan favourites as well as some new material and rarely aired oldies. Months and Moons is enchanting, and Matilda part III has the crowd dancing in the isles. The night ends with the incredible, epic, swingtastic new tune Hold On To Me which gets most of the crowd on its feet at the front of the stage and gains the band a well-deserved standing ovation. Once the house lights come on the crowd are left with a feeling of having just seen something truly special. In today’s market if a band wants to succeed and have a lasting career they not only have to have interesting and catchy songs, but also have to put some graft in and prove themselves on the live circuit. Louis Barabbas and The Bedlam Six know this and if they keep putting on shows like tonight’s they should certainly have a fruitful and rewarding career ahead of them.