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Live Review: Wille and the Bandits
Indie | Wednesday 13th November 2013 | annalisemarguerita
The Islington is a cool pub at the heart of Islington (who would have guessed?). The lighting is set so perfectly that the red, luxurious fabric draped around the small stage captures a warm atmosphere, perfect for the music it accompanies.
Rum Honey is the supporting act for the evening - a band that is relaxed on stage - funky and, though the front-man of the band throws slightly unflattering shapes as he sings, they are alright. I'm not sure if the crowd are anything but lukewarm after their set, despite their talented musicianship (especially the lead guitar – shredding like a pro). Possibly something to do with the lead singer enjoying his shirt-gripping, hypnotic state more than the rest of us.
As I have been lucky enough to catch a Wille and the Bandits set a couple of times before, I catch Wille making his way to the stage and putting on his hat – which signals that the night is ready to begin. Wille is probably the only person you will see that is able to fashion long dreadlocks peeping through the crown of a top hat. The band have supported the likes of Deep Purple, The John Butler Trio and Status Quo and yet here they are in front of us, lighting up an intimate venue.
Wille Edwards plays a lap steel guitar and sings with a sharp gravelly voice, capturing the audience with a new alternative style of music. Wille’s ultra-masculine voice reverberates through the room, powerfully giving it his all. It is a strong start with “Keep Your Head Up”. They're sounding even more polished than before, more gritty and sexy. Yeah, that's right, I said it, sexy. Within moments the room filled as his husky voice echoed throughout. Although the boy in front of me stood in extremely close proximity, I still had space to fall for their story-telling tones and their moody “feeling-the-music” faces.
They play a song from their new album “Grow”, called “Got To Do Better” and I have to say that I certainly don't agree with them. The song is catchy and simply clever - “How long is too long?” - with growls like I've never heard before. When Wille sings, it's as if you can see every note on his face and by the end of the set you'll feel as if you have caught his lungs and taken them home with you.
They move on to play a song written by Peter Green and performed by Santana - “Black Magic Woman”. In my eyes you shouldn't really be messing with a song that Santana have already put their mark on. Their jungle drum sounds and lap sliding guitar made for a very rootsy version of the song, and the cool bass-player keeps his relaxed stance and grooves his way through the song. With Matthew Brooks' playing it's less of the bass-face and more of a grin, but that's what we like to see. Along with Andrew Naumann's percussive skills and usual closed eyes of concentration, heavy blues rock at its best.
They slow it down with their track “Mammon”. As I look around the room the crowd are lapping it up, though a few people are on their phones and I can't help but think: can the world not stop for a second, just to enjoy some great music? The fact that the phone-checkers are just lads checking football scores is even more frustrating, but I look past them and enjoy some of the fastest 6-string bass playing I have ever seen. It's crazy how a band can be so very good at the quiet moments, in equal strength to their loud moments.
They have attitude and a dirty, quick-rhyming style - “We're gonna try and spin heavy rock into reggae!” Willie says. They have a way of moving the heavy rock atmosphere of the evening into and elegant and almost Spanish sounding style of guitar playing. The way their quick and smooth notes move from heavy rock into reggae is faultless, and as they play their hard-hitting song “Chill out”, I can't help but enjoy the way Wille plays his lap steel guitar with a look on his face that says “I have no idea what sounds are about to come from my mouth”. The lungs on that man are phenomenal, his gruff roars and yet silky tones linger in the air, and the way his dreadlocks move with him make him look like a rootsy Gerard Butler. Could there be anything more dreamy?
With some slowed down bass and blunt lyricism (“Love me, love me, love me again!”) they move to a sultry groove. It's somewhat dream-like, through the use of words like “It was like sun through the trees”. It makes for a beautifully drawn painting, slow music for the soul. You could tell every note meant the world – and they threw it at us without a care for anything else.
Wille and the Bandits reached number 2 in the blues chart with their song “Gypsy Woman” through downloads alone, even without a record label. They have a loyal following because they are such a good live band. The fact that there are just three members of this band is insane – they sound like they have an army of music behind them. They end their set with a wall of sound and a cover of Dire Straits. Now they're just showing off.
