To paraphrase a famous quote about Bruce Springsteen, I have seen the past of rock'n'roll and his name is JD McPherson.
The Oklahoma native's first Scottish show was a rip-roaringly enjoyable throwback, yet blessed with enough fire to succeed on its own terms.
He wasn't thrown off stride by a faulty amp that delayed the gig for 20 minutes, instead motoring through a set of short, snappy tunes with little filler. If there are clear homages to the past running through his work, including expertly delivered Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley covers, there is also a freshness, too. His howling vocal was suitably sharp and he threw himself into each number with such fervour that sweat dripped from his brow by the end.
Yet he was nearly overshadowed by his band's playing, in particular a boogie-woogie playing keyboardist and the superb double-bass of Jimmy Sutton. When the band cut loose on Farmer John or on the Ska cover Oil In My Lamp it created an infectious mood of dancing, while Firebug and North Side Gal were hook-filled enough to suggest the mainstream will surely discover his charms soon, no doubt with a shake and a shimmy.
HHHH
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