Denis Jones

Denis Jones – a forgettable name maybe, but not a forgettable artist. His performance at the Twisted Folk festival last year left an indelible impression and I've been eagerly awaiting another London gig - Jones is based in Manchester and regularly gigs in that area. He was easily the highlight of the Twisted Folk festival though not a headliner, nor a name that anybody knew, but he transformed that audience from curious to stunned and he does the same tonight turning an indifferent crowd, out for a drink after work, to an entranced one.

The venue, The Kings Cross Social Club, is fairly new and sited on a corner. The bands play in the narrow end of the ground floor bar with windows behind them and on either side so there is a bit of distraction with traffic going past and people peering in; a good way of attracting passing trade though and Thursday night gigs are free entry.

Jones starts playing and the people in the Social Club carry on socialising for a minute or so before they realise he’s quietly layering some vocal loops, but once the percussion kicks in behind this he has their attention.

I like Jones' description of his music genre as 'emotronic', and it’s much more than electronic folk. Aside from the looping station, drum machine and effects pedals, he's an accomplished guitarist and has a bloomin' good soulful voice, some addictive melodies, interesting lyrics and an impressive, almost-Scroobius-Pip-proportions beard! With his head bobbing, one leg bouncing incessantly, foot tapping the pedals and occasional handclaps, he busily takes us through his short set. The pace drops a little when he plays an improvised piece in the middle and at the end of the set when the last song is anti-climactic compared to the previous one so he cuts it short.

The highlights for me, which were also the two most infectious songs when I last saw him play, are 'Elvis' ("I'm so happy that you're in the ground... and lucky that I profit from your sound ... I'm hanging on the wire but the barbs are in too deep, well I dream I was a hick from Memphis every time that I fall asleep") and 'Beginning', the latter is on his debut album 'Humdrum Virtue' and finishes with a roaring, reverberating sound effect which fills the venue and is almost deafening.

I'm not entirely sure how he achieves all the elements in the music but it's good just to stand and admire the skills, and be immersed in the sounds of the folktronica alchemist. I look forward to Denis Jones doing more regular London jaunts.

FUTURE GIGS

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