The PinBoard Crew were fortunate enough to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings perform a live gig @ the historic Jazz Cafe in the heart of London in Camden Town on Thursday night. Currently promoting their new album “100 Nights, 100 Days“; a superb LP full to the brim with soul contemporary-classics.
Last week we brought you a biographical-feature on Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings (HERE) and this week, we’re giving you a review of possibly, one of the most soul filled, funky gigs we’ve ever been to (and we go to ALOT of gigs!)
We’re still pinching ourselves and trying to fully comprehend what we experienced on April 19th 2008…
Powerhouse, funky, explosive, soulful, classic, energetic, talented, artistic, contemporary, elegant – just a few adjectives that we can string together to try and explain what exactly, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings are/do.
The DapKings, were suited and booted in their 60′s cut suits and rolled on stage with ease; instantly evoking cheers and screams from the crowd. These cats were cool. Slick even! The kinda slick we don’t see very much any more! 3 guitarists, 2 sax players, 1 trumpet player, a drummer and a dude on the conga’s compiled theDap Kings. Guitarist and master of ceremonies Binky Griptite, in his sharp suit, red shirt and skinny black tie [pictured below], began the introduction with a coooooooooool ass speech, warning us that we were about to get “Funked Up!”, just before breaking into some seriously funky funk instrumentals including “Mellowmatic Mood”. The 8 piece band sounded so tight, so together it sounded as if we were extras in the studio watching them perform. The energy in the room was eclectic. Funk is one of the last genres of music that is able to make you feel ‘oh so good’.
Grabbing the mike Griptite began to introduce us to the “the super, soul sista”… Sharon Jones. Running down the stairs of Jazz Cafe’s infamous red staircase, to what can only be described as a rapturous roar of applauding, screaming and yelling in her honour! Dressed in a baby blue, 60′s cut dress, Jones grabbed the mic and that. was. IT…
W.O.W!
Sharon Jones, tore that microphone and that place apart. It was over. With her first line, she HAD us all. A total live wire! We’ve heard the CD’s, listened to her songs but nothing, nothing could have prepared us for the her presence live. Soul oozed from her voice, her moves, her attitude – everywhere! It was clear, Jones wasn’t a new girl on the block, this lady could give Glayds, Diana, Aretha or any other soul legend a run for their money! She and the Dap Kings continued the show by breaking into soulful joints like “Be Easy”, “Nobody’s Baby” and “Tell Me”.
Sharon Jones continued to amaze us with her energetic moves – the woman never stood still for the entire show! The only other female artist we could think to compare her moves to were Tina Turner’s – and it is with no exaggeration we say – she really could take on Tina! Her moves were phenomenal! She was bussin’ steps like she was in some 1960′s disco – slides, dips, whips – doing it all. At certain points, Jones’ called on her two ‘dancers’…Two dudes, aged between 40-50, decked out in flat caps, suit trousers and white shirts, to come on every so often and freestyle some ‘fresh moves’. It was clear the guys had no formal training, but instead masted the art of dance by studying the likes of James Brown and Marvin Gaye – which is probably all the training you need! The three of them looked like friends who had just found their parents’ classic soul records (that they were probably forbidden to touch!) and were just groovin’ to them. It was such a simple set-up, but worked perfectly.
During the show Sharon Jones told us (sang us, rather) a story about her ancestors. Informing us that one side came from West Africa, this resulted in her doing a traditional West African peace dance. And the other side being of Native American descent, which inspired her to do a traditional Native American peace dance – the audience lapped it up and pretty much lost it at the sight of this woman’s energy! How she continued singing (on point) or moving after those moves, is beyond us.
…Oh, did we mention she is turning 52 next month? Er…Yuh!
It became evident that we were witnessing a show like no-other. The Dap Kings played to near perfection – their timing and their ability to rock the house harmoniously, effortlessly complimented by the powerful skill of Ms Jones was pretty indescribable!
Jones, withallher star power, carried the show by not ‘just’ commanding the stage, but also grabbing a few men from the audience “to play with”. She teased and flirted, grabbed them close then sharply sang “bye, bye” when she was done. Those men ‘got owned’. You don’t mess with such a diva. Her aptitude toconnect withher audience was immense. The show was truly intimate, mainly down to Jones’ ability to interact with the crowd.
The band went through tracks from all three of their LP’s (“DapDappin’ With Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings”, “Naturally” and “100 Days, 100 Nights), delivering each song with such soul, such power and such energy, we literally felt like we’d won the lottery – witnessing something on stage that we’d never seen before.
Our love of music stems deeply from our love of soul and funk music from the 60′s and 70′s. But the problem is, we weren’t around when songs from The Supremes, Otis Redding and James Brown were created or were ‘new’. We didn’t experience the joy of hearing funk music for the very first time, when it was ‘just experimental’. So to us, this show was more like a time machine than a gig, allowing us to experience how it was to hear real soul and funk for the first time.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings transported us to a time when cats were jivin’ and cruisin’ to the latest soul cuts, a time where funk and soul were in their infancy; This allows us to make the [rather large] statement of it being the most soulful show we’ve ever attended.
The bands rendition of James Browns’ “This Is A Mans World” was so, incredibly beautiful and moving, it gave us and (we imagine) everyone up in that place goosebumps. It felt like we were in the Apollo Theatre in Harlem – that’s the best way to describe it [Check out our video of this performance below]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HoPF1dnc28]
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings then got their political hats on when they performed “What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes” and vented their frustration about Bush and his lengthy term in office and the fact that it has taken this long for a woman and a black man to run for president! The song was obviously close to Sharon Jones’ heart because she sang it with such passion and such emotion, the atmosphere was palpable. [Check out our video of this performance below]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nruxMu8Apg]
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings didn’t ‘just’ give us live music, they gave us an experience. The band went through their catalogue like a bunch of friends going through old photos. It was evident that these cats loved playing together and obviously that translated into an outstanding show.
The show ended with an encore; The band then treated us to some good ol’ fashion gospel and a little history lesson. Sharon Jones summoned her dancers and gave us a history of ‘Dance 101′. She went through the mash potato, the funky chicken, the shuffle and others, explaining to us how and why those dances were created. We rubbed our eyes a few times, just in case we were mistakenly experiencing a 1960′s 3D nickelodeon ['movie' for us young'ans!] – because what we were watching was simply put – unimaginable.
The Final Word(s):
If you ever have the chance to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings live, we advise you to take that opportunity, it’s a must see show and our review probably does it no justice. Unlike most gigs, where there’s usually a few negatives; be it the crowd, the band coming on late, the sound not being great or the act not living up to expectations – this show was one of those [rare] moments where everything came together perfectly…no complaints, no problems, not to mention, it smashed any expectations we had previously had.
Make sure you buy (this means LEGALLY!) and support Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings merchandise by going to their “super funky, Daptone superstore ” HERE and purchasing their amazing albums, t-shirts, vinyls, etc! Also, check them out on their myspace page HERE!
Peace, Love & Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
SpeakerBox
Check out our pics:
PinBoard would like to thank ‘In House Press’ for giving us the chance to see and review the show – much appreciated.
I was there too! Those guys blew my socks off. Been a fan for a long time but never saw them live till that night at the jazz cafe and the wait was well worth it.
amazing. just amazing!
Great review! Thanks for the videos too!
Andy
so upset i never got to see them. thanks for the videos!
I've seen these guys live before and they were outstanding. Thanks for those two videos – they really are great the "This is a mans world" one is amazing! xx
SJ & The Dap Kings actually played at The Sage in Gateshead on (Saturday) 19th April 2008.
The band was marvellous & very professional, but the gig was marred by bad sound quality to the lead vocals. Consequently, Ms Jones stormed off stage twice during the set. It looked as though she held the sound engineers accountable, but a steward told me that she had spent all of five minutes sound-checking before the gig.
Either way, it was a bit of a disappointment since I was so looking forward to seeing and hearing Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings play live.
Next time they tour the "UK" perhaps their promoters might include venues in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Regards, John Elliot, Hawick in the Scottish Borders.