23rd October 2015
Tonight sees us visiting the historic town of Haarlem in the Netherlands to see Pokey Lafarge and celebrate a birthday in the Patronaat theatre on the bank of the town’s Leidsevaart canal. The smell of Heineken hangs heavy in the air as the eclectic crowd wait with anticipation for Pokey and his band to take to the stage. There’s rockers, greasers, hipsters and turned up jeans aplenty tonight, not to mention several balding heads with scrawny pony tails attached.
Pokey’s band takes to the stage and fun really begins. They are tight and every bit as eclectic as the audience. Styles range from the long haired bearded rocker look, the Nashville look, the 1920s Charleston or New York mobster look and the obligatory turned up jeans. Uniquely this heady mix of fashion suits the style of the music perfectly. Songs such as ‘Something in the Water’, ‘One Town At A Time’ and the castanet laden ‘Goodbye Barcelona’ showcase the diversity of Pokey’s music and the considerable musical ability of the band. We move quickly from country to jazz, followed by swing and blues and the excited Dutch audience lap it all up.
The Patronaat is a great venue. There’s no barrier, so the crowd can get right to the stage and set their drinks at Pokey’s feet. The band seem to thrive in having the crowd so close and there’s lots of eye contact, gestures and audience interaction. The aforementioned interaction peaks with the sing along during ‘La La Blues’.
It seems far too soon to be into the encores, but a quick time check makes us realise that Pokey has been on stage for almost an hour and half. Attempting a solo unplugged version of ‘Far Away’ Pokey tries in vain to hush the hyped up audience into silence, but he’s entertained them well and spirits are far too high to come down on request and he plugs in and goes back to his mic to complete the song. The band rejoin for the last song of the night and it’s the country swing ‘What’s The Matter With The Man’ that ends the night to thunderous applause and cheers.
It’s hard to pigeonhole Pokey’s music, but take a pinch of Hank Williams, throw in a dash of Cab Calloway and mix with a dollop of Bill Haley and the Comets and you’re pretty close. This was a tight show and we definitely witnessed something special that made it a birthday celebration to remember for a long time.