Jon Gomm / Stateless / D-Koy

The first Tea Time Shuffle evening of local talent features several Leeds bands, and finishes at the convenient time of 10pm to allow those out-of-towners to get a train home. I arrived for the last three acts, as the starting time of 6pm is a little early for those same folk from out of town to race to after work.

D-Koy have hair that has not been seen since Hundred Reasons first graced the stage all those years ago. They merge metal driving sounds with rock and pop melodies to create a sound that appeals to a broad audience, and the mixed crowd here lap it up.

I last saw Stateless at the Recfectory supporting DJ Shadow, as frontman Chris James has recently toured with the Master of Scratching world-wide. It’s easy to see why Josh Davies chose him, as his vocals and stage presence are riveting to watch. He dances like a man possessed on stage, occasionally picking up a guitar to swing around. The rest of the band are revelling in the attention, and happy at the fact that they have just signed a record deal. The mixture of live drums, bass and decks with spaced out sampling gives refreshing amounts of layers to their sound of dance, rock and hip hop. Well recommended.



After those sets it’s going to be hard to get the worked up crowd to quieten down for the acoustic thrillings of Jon Gomm. And the task is failed, as the loud murmur of conversations tends to overlap the wonderman’s skillful guitar playing and singing. This is the fourth time I have seen Jon, and I would have started with a jaw-dropping example of his virtuoso style in the form of Hypertension’s ‘Stupid Blues’; instead he chooses to showcase new songs from the as yet untitled new album. He jokingly adds that suggestions for album names are welcomed, the best and silliest so far being "While My Guitar Gently Wanks".

‘Gloria’, written for about an old girlfriend, shows off more of his songwriting skills, as does ‘What’s Left For You’. ‘Weather Machine’, about war, is a catchy but scary song, and ‘Waterfall’ even has a verse in Urdu. Though you do struggle to hear over the constant babbling behind you. Jon does look a little annoyed, and also a little off-colour. There is notably less interaction with the crowd as with previous shows, but the size and layout of the venue make it difficult for those at the back and even in the middle to see and fully appreciate the difficult style of musicianship.


The set is short and overruns the 10pm curfew, but at the crowd and manager’s wishes. The cover of Radiohead’s ‘High And Dry’ always provokes a sing-a-long, and the single encore is a medley of covers ranging from Jimi Hendrix, Rage Against The Machine, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. The crazy distorted electric sounds coming from the sole guitar that also doubles as a bass, drum and sampler (with the array of guitar peddles) is a pleasure to witness.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.