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AJ Roach Home click poster
The AJ Roach Trio (June UK Tour)
AJ Roach - The Maze, Nottingham - 21st June 2007
Review by Jeremy Searle
Looking like a spruced up greasy gunfighter AJ Roach and his band swept into the Maze like down at heel cowboys out for a Saturday night spree. Like all good cowboys he has tales to tell, and like all good cowboys they’re tales of hard luck and woe, of the women who’ve left him, of the men who’ve cheated him, of the life that’s been denied him. Tonight some of them are old, but many of them are new, and his vision has continued on a downward path from last album “Revelation” to become even deeper and darker. Plinked out on an old guitar, supported by an un-miked fiddle and second guitar, these are songs from the backwoods of the backwoods. In vino veritas as they say, though in Roach’s case in whisky weritas might be more appropriate, and he can cut to the quick, to the heart of the matter, before you’ve had time to catch your breath. Not a man to be backward about his failings, particularly in love, he regales the audience with stories and songs of such doom and gloom that no matter how bad you felt when he started you feel a whole lot better by the time he’s finished. Undercutting it all with a sense of humour so dry it’s Saharan he’s on fire tonight, energised by the band, sparked by the rapturous applause, never better, and it’s a performance for the ages. He finishes off with an unplugged “Revelation”, howled from the front of the stage, and that’s exactly what it has been.
AJ Roach - The Maze, Nottingham - 21st June 2007
Review by Alan Taylor
The early sitting of the “Weak bladder critical appraisal society” were unanimous in their verdict. Nodded sagely to the Appalachian beat, they sealed an agreement and declared themselves “privileged” to be in the presence of a master. “Mazemeisters” are used to quality, but A J Roach only four songs in, had surpassed quality control. With an initial unaccompanied solo, which showcased his amazing mountain/man of the woods voice to perfection, he had the room spell-bound. This all in spite a rather worrying “Randall and Hopkirk” suit (complete with waistcoat), which naturally caused a few mutters from the Alt Am/Appalachia folk fashionista police section of the audience.
With only two dates left on his UK tour (Newcastle and London, following Wales! – after an earlier Inverness to Coventry marathon - tour manager could do with a map of UK?) this guy is DON’T MISS material. Songs of love, loss, whisky, loss, more whisky and death were perfectly executed as the band joined him on stage with violin and guitar to supplement his own guitar, banjo and incredible voice. “Sears and Roebuck suit” a song about his own father, brought a tear to the eye as he told the story of how his father failed to make the connection on that all important first hearing. “Revelation” the title song from the new album echoed that Carter Family feel to perfection, with a harsh reminder for us all to be neither too rich nor too sinful!
With a mixture of songs from “Dogwood Winter”, new album “revelation” and a few “new ones” the crowd were treated to a fiesta of self-deprecating humour and gospel tinged songs, delivered with a rough edge, but with the easy stripped down style of a natural performer, who has been singing and performing for a life time. His Appalachian storytelling pedigree shone throughout the night, particularly during the encore when he and the band dispensed with modern accoutrements such as electricity, and sang truly unplugged, standing virtually on top of a stunned audience. If you get chance to go to a gig (and you should) – take an elastic band, you’ll need it - to draw up your bottom jaw! If you can’t make it, sample a track or two from his website (www.roachmusic.com) and wait with baited breath for him to return to the UK with another album, which sounds virtually already written.
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