MATT WALKER AND THE NECESSARY FEW

AT THE GRACE EMILY

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Matt Walker & the Necessary Few at the Grace Emily Hotel - Sat 31 May, 2003/ Nuala Honan
 

Matt Walker was in town with his new band, the Necessary Few, (drummer Roger Bergodaz and bassist Grant Cummerford) in support of his latest release, 'Navigational Skills'. Supporting him this night was a local lass, singer/guitarist Nuala Honan, who has been popping up quite a bit since her Off The Couch gig and her duet with Tim Rodgers. She had plenty of supporters and the rest of the punters seemed to enjoy her set too, putting the crowd in the mood for a night of good music.

Matt and the 'Few came on stage after a short break and went straight into the new CD, opening with Hard To Hide, Awake At Night, and a couple of songs co-written by Dave Graney (Just Add Wine and You Put A Spell On Me). Half way through the first set Walker sat down with the dobro/lap steel to play Dirty Fog and Rocks And Gravel , the only time he sat down in the entire set, reflecting the more blues/rock direction he is taking these days. You could tell the band was having fun and that it in turn reflected on the audience and their reaction. To end the first set he played an older instrumental, Catch That Plane, giving it a new twist with electric guitar and harmonica, rather than the traditional acoustic.

Starting off the second set was one of my favourites, I Listen To The Night, before Roger and Grant joined him once again. It was evident from the way he moved through the set, mixing new songs like Vacancy, Into The Light, Do You Remember Our Love and Right From Wrong with the older 'Soul Witness' songs like Victims Highway, Evil Feelings, and Train Driver, that the energy and new direction of the new songs still meshes well with the older songs, even throwing in two covers: Muddy Waters' Everything Is Coming My Way and Canned Heat's Time. Despite the the depth of sounds that fill out Walker's songs on record, often using keyboards and string arrangements, I was pleasantly surprised that the three made the most of the new songs, preventing them from feeling empty.

The crowd was getting into it: the fans were fulfilled and a lot of punters became fans. I think everyone went home happy, and it wasn't just the beer.

by Julie Richards

From dB Magazine online