Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
A late October Sunday night in Norwich shouldn’t be this warm, the industrial warehouse venue of the Waterfront somehow spiritually transported to the American South as the Blues takes over the packed Studio room.
Still, this is no ordinary night and the chance to see Kris Barras up close and personal on this intimate UK tour is too good to miss, his soulful side project Hollow Souls having established them swiftly as an incendiary and compelling live band.
Having shown just what they can do at the Maid of Stone festival earlier on this year, the quintet has honed everything to a razorsharp edge, this run of shows giving them a chance to show truly what they’re capable of.
Before the main event, the perpetually touring Troy Redfern provided a very tasty support slot that cemented his reputation as a big talent capable of lighting up any venue with a stage. Accompanied on this tour by percussionist Paul Ellis, the duo make a bigger sound than most bands many times their size and this primal howl is impossible to ignore.
The earthquake of ‘Shakin” and an earthy Led Zeppelin-ish ‘Taken My Soul’ open the set, both hailing from the new ‘Retribution’ album and displaying the strength of the freshly minted material. The tribal throb of ‘Native’ follows, the drums of Ellis providing a suitably atmospheric drive, Redfern’s slide playing the perfect counterpoint.
There’s always been something timeless about Redfern, his wildman meets psychedelia image conveying the spirit of the 60’s, filtered through the 70’s and yet with a ragged rawness that feels so visceral and of the now. The storm of ‘Aching Heart’, bluesy swagger of ‘John the Revelator’ and volcanic yet playful ‘Waiting for You’ thrill before the multi-hued ‘Sanctify’ brings it all to a shuddering climax.
While he spends his time as a travelling troubadour, there’s still plenty of heart and soul here, all road weariness banished as he connects with both music and audience. A fine teller of tells and an extraordinary guitarist and singer, Redfern is an absolute gem.
Kris Barras is never more than totally committed to whatever he does, his focus absolute. The fact that Hollow Souls is a side project not lessening the amount of passion he pours into the outfit and with KBB compatriot Josiah J. Manning at his side playing keys and guitar, along with backing from bass player Paddy Blight and Chris Tilke on drums he’s got a very good team indeed. Shining brightly, vocalist Phoebe Jane is a phenomenon, Barras declaring her “world class” a statement impossible to argue with, her voice immaculate.
This combination of talents, the main man certainly no slouch on guitar and vocals himself, adds up to a truly heady brew and the set mixes in original material and numbers from the KBB and one or two tasty covers thrown in too.
Soul stomper ‘Borderline’ kicks things off, the impact immediate as the music surges from the speakers, the placing of their rambunctious take on Led Zep’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ second in the set a curious move and bit of a gamble but continues the wave of adrenaline. When Jane and Barras duetted the juxtaposition of voices blended smoothly, especially during the funky groove of ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ and the nuance that Jane brought to ‘Tearing Me Apart’ as she mixed anger, sadness and defiance, showed that natural talent will always trump autotuned and manufactured plastic ‘soul’ that seems to have flooded the industry.
With the KBB going heavier with every release, the more muscular side of Barras’s repertoire is shown on a sledgehammer ‘Shotgun’, the band easily slipping into the elegiac blues of ‘Stormy Monday’ which featured some great keys work by Manning.
Again, Jane’s performance on ‘Burn It to the Ground’ was showstopping, building up to a strong finish that saw wrecking ball boogie, sublime swaying and the deliciously sweary singalong of ‘My Parade’ building to a multi-hued sprint to the finish.
A retooled ‘Hail Mary’ closed before Redfern joined for the riotous ‘Goin’ Down’ encore, every last drop of sweat wrung from both band and audience. With the promise of a new KBB album in the works, it can only be hoped that there’s time for some more Hollow Souls activity in the future as they certainly knocked it out of the park this evening. Real music, real musicians and a whole lot of muscle and soul. Who could ask for more.
Photographer by Denis Carpentier for Noblepr
