A dimly lit room upstairs in the Shakespeare pub was the
scene of the second offering from the new monthly Country/Americana/Blues/Roots night - Whippoorwill -
which takes place on the first Saturday of every month. The name comes from an American bird that features
heavily in American folklore and the image is plastered on the patchwork banner lit up behind the stage.
By The Penny Lovers' own admission Doncaster has still got the same kind of bands playing around
town that they had when they were kids - stale sounding indie bands that just aren't all that good. A lot
of respect has to go to this five-piece who are trying to break away and pave their singular path and judging
by their performance they alone can elevate Doncaster's musical reputation.
Whether it be their own material
such as the excellent When You Are Young or the superb cover of the Sons of the Pioneers' classic
Cool Water, the band sounded like they were having fun while holding down tight harmonies. The
melodic backing cradling Mick's lead singing brings together a sound that reminds partly of Super Furry Animals,
Divine Comedy and the Kinks but with a more bleary liquor soaked edge.
This is a band that likes to experiment - add a ukulele, use maracas as drumsticks, sing an old country song -
and come away with a sound that is uniquely their own.
Billy Martin Jnr was next up, dressed in his finery from cap to boot looking like a 1920's troubadour in his Sunday best.
The moment he opened his mouth the audience were taken aback by his bluesy growls and hollers and also by the succinct
guitar play - moving fluidly from deep south delta blues through django-esque jazzy riffs whether telling tales of South
Yorkshire life or his experiences of hippiedom in bohemian Ibiza - there were none of the usual clichés of crossroads
and hitching a hobo train that your average white British bluesman claims as his own - just genuine song writing, full of
wit and humour and fantastic playing. Unfortunately after half an hour it was time to leave the stage having left his mark
with a few more admirers of a truly top bloke.
The best and most imaginative things are borne of necessity and this is certainly true of The Hi and Lo. When Nick and
Paul were left in the lurch by band members at a gig they decided to wing it with just the two of them and it worked. From
behind his drum kit, Nick impresses with his multi-tasking by also playing the electric guitar or banjo and harmonising with
Paul who provides rhythm guitar. The band produced high quality stuff with slower ballads such as Holding a Ten Ton Load
which kept an earthy feel with the wailing harmonica and punching drums to a more country twang of The Bad Times aren't as
Bad (they're even worse). Throughout, the duo captivated not only with musicianship but by their easy banter and Paul's
deadpan world weary monologues. The good humour and infectious music spread through the audience so by the time the sing-a-long
Ray of Sunshine came along everyone was joining in ... and it didn't stop there. The good feeling spread to
people's feet and the room was dancing, even on the stage. If The Hi and Lo hadn't orchestrated their own encore the
crowd would have surely forced one.
All in all, three great acts and a good time had by all. Bring on next month.