The Duke Spirit @ NAC
I find my attention wandering..
Playing their third gig in four days, Horse Party just get better every time I see them. Shannon is a force of nature on drums, whilst guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Seymour brings himself to a state approaching that of a whirling dervish. Guitarist and main vocalist Ellie has a great voice and seems more confident and comfortable on stage with each show and new bassist Katharine is settling in well.
The term instant classic is overused but songs like Animal, What I'd Do, Horizons, Out Of Sight and Pay Dirt all fit that bill. Find their debut album Cover Your Eyes and new long player Horizons and you won't be disappointed.
The first and, for that matter, the last time I saw The Duke Spirit was supporting British Sea Power at the Waterfront over a decade ago. On first impressions, nothing much has changed. Vocalist Liela has a true shaman star quality whilst the music, at its best, rocks like a wicked combination of Aftermath era Stones at their most darkly inventive, early Patti Smith Group and The Jesus & Mary Chain. But, for all that, for me at least there is something amiss tonight. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is. The Duke Spirit are by no means bad, the songs are good, the sound is great and the playing is fine but this just isn't grabbing me the way I expected, the way I remembered them from the Waterfront all those years ago. I find my attention wandering just fifteen minutes into the set. Maybe it isn't them, maybe it is me as most of what is close to a full house are enjoying it.
