Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys In one of the prettiest venues you'll ever come across - a Lutyens-esque mock medieval hall, SR & the MP were faced with the not so daunting task of winning over an already won over audience. For the UK Cajun scene, this man is God. He had the audience dancing without having to try, from the first note and continued to have them where he wanted for the best part of the next three or so hours. Mainly straight Cajun tunes, with a scattering of blues/jazz and an errant hip-hop beat on one occasion, he managed to maintain the fine line between conservation and innovation. Perfect for the dancers at the front, but I daresay that it got a bit wearying for those who just came to listen. This was functional music and I'm probably being a bit heretical here, but ultimately a bit soul-less. Steve, bless, doesn't have the natural vocal pathos of an Iry Le Jeune, so in the more tragic tunes (and that's most Cajun music) his voice was a bit too thin to convey the required passion. Highlight of the night for me was the stomping boogie-woogie arrangement of "I made a big mistake", the perfect old trick of sad lyrics, happy tune. I left a sweaty man. Rating 7/10
latest gig forum posts
