The Canadian brothers have produced four albums, which feature a blend of blues, tinted roots rock, and emotionally charged, harmony-heavy ballads. They have been endorsed by the likes of Bonnie Raitt (whose cover of the brothers’ ‘Made up mind’ won her a Grammy in 2022) and have themselves won Canada’s equivalent award, the Juno.
Tonight, playing to a packed Black Box, they showed exactly why they are so highly regarded, with a wonderful display of the power of music.
First up on the night was the wonderfully brash and bold Begonia, who produced a powerhouse performance of torch songs and reflections on life, sometimes funny, sometimes touching, with a voice that soared in a roar and a whisper in equal measure. Her between-song, machine gun delivery chat was difficult and confusing at times, but she went down a treat with the crowd. And that voice! Well worth checking out her ‘Fantasy Life’ album.
The brothers took to the stage at a blistering pace with a ringing, bluesy ‘Runaway train’, immediately followed by a seductively mellow ‘Stay’, setting the template for a quite outstanding display of musicianship and the quality of their song writing.
Joey’s guitar playing, particularly the slide, is a thing of joy, and is shown off to exquisite effect on the lovely ‘Half Moon Eyes’. Sadly, no Bonnie Raitt on backing vocals, as she does on the recorded version, but the harmonies between the brothers and Roman Clarke (on drums), is a thing of quiet beauty.
Joey tells the crowd that the next song was written for his wife, ‘So shut up and listen’! Said with a smile, the crowd responds with laughs, and the connection between Band and audience continues to grow.
Many of the songs are personal testimonies from the Brothers. ‘Dog Ear’ is written for their children; they miss so much whilst away from home, the ‘dog ear’ being that crease you leave at a special point, in a much beloved book.
‘Knuckles’ is another song that raises the hair on the neck, with its hugely affecting lyrics, enhanced by the presence of Begonia joining the lads on stage.
‘Don’t bite your tongue, say what you mean
Just keep on singing, till it sets you free
And don’t pull your punches, let it rain down on me
Just keep on swaying
Till your knuckles bleed’
The songs flow with a quality mark on them all. The little Feat comparisons are quite evident, but they are owned by the band, and at times even enhanced.
‘Made up mind’ is quite superb in it’s conception and performance, with Joey’s awesome slide playing to the fore. Dave takes lead vocal on album highlight ‘Vincent’ with an impassioned and stunning rendition.
This is genuinely affecting music, and a reminder of it’s power to unite people in a communal setting, and lift the listener to a better place.
The Brothers don’t play Ireland often. I strongly advise you to get down and see them on their next go-round.
My mind is made up. This was Sheer class!