Rob Lamothe

Concert Review

London 12 Bar Club

26 April 1999

by Ken Hindmarch

from Hard Roxx Magazine, June 1999 After finding out about this gig purely by chance, flicking through the hallowed pages of Hard Roxx I thought it only fitting to do a review of the show as a way of saying thank you.

After catching this charismatic singer/songwriter on his last visit to these shores as part of the now sadly defunct Riverdogs (when they played for the remaining fans on the pavement outside the Rock City after the venue unbelievably cut short the set so they could start the "trash metal" disco that was taking place after the gig) I wasn't going to pass up the chance of seeing him again, even if it meant a 5 hour journey down from the north east.

Not being a frequent visitor to the land of flat warm beer and jellied eels, the venue was non-too familiar with me. However, following the directions of the delightful young lady at the club we found the 12 Bar Club just off Charing Cross Road. After checking out the flyers adorning the adjacent walls it appeared the Rob "the man" Lamothe was one part of a three-part set and it appeared he would be on last.

However, after a trip round the sights and a visit to a local "watering hole" we arrived back at the venue just after 8 o'clock to find Rob in the alleyway outside the gig chatting to some other fans from around the globe (including tow aussies and a yank!), asking them what they wanted him to play! We found out that he was actually going to be on first from 830pm to 930pm (which was better for us as we were going straight back home that night), so after exchanging pleasantries and showing him some photos from the Riverdogs gig at Nottingham Rock City he got the call and it was action stations.

When we got inside the words "cosy front room" came to mind, however, once proceedings got underway these could easily be changed to "cramped and sweaty" with Rob playing on a stage no bigger than a large dining room table, to a split level audience? He opened the show with "Suddenly in Waterdown" from his new "Project Hum" opus, which is available in very limited quantities direct from Rob via his web page or on sale at the venue.

"Suddenly in Waterdown" could have fitted very nicely between the release of his critically acclaimed "Gravity" album and the much darker sound of his latest offering "Being Human". In much the same vein as the rest of his solo material, a personal story expressed in such a way as to leave the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end.

We were treated to the bitter sweet harmonies of "Pull me Under", a love song about a past girlfriend, through he infectious rhythms of "raining all over" and "Rain Rain" from his early Riverdogs days plus the soaring heights of "Pennsylvania" from the "Bone" album. All played and sung with the gusto that makes this man what he is today! That is, in my opinion, the most underrated singer/songwriter of his ilk. His voice being the key element in his entourage coupled with the sheer quality of his material from the sweetest harmonies of "Pull me Under" to the "darker" moments of "Circus Town" and "Clean".

One thing that shine through in Rob's performance is the way in which he expresses himself through his highly personal lyrics, seeing him sing "Blair Mountain" and "Home" (after some prompting from a young Aussie lady behind me) and then "Strongest Man in the World" (my own personal favourite and the highlight of the night for mw) was enough to bring a tear to the eye. AWEWOME.

We experienced "Ship Song" with its anthemic chorus (strangely about the sinking of the Titanic!) and the haunting "Twelve moons" from "Being Human" before a short break in the proceedings when, thankfully, the crowd and Rob managed to persuade the management to lengthen his set by about 10 minutes to leave us with a finale to remember! Rob was joined by none other than the infamous Brian "Robbo" Robertson (ex Thin Lizzy/Ex Wildhourses/Ex Motorhead), looking painfully thin and surprisingly sober for a change. The set was completed with the much heavier guitar orientated "Saracen Blade" and "Mantra" featuring Robbo with a heavy blues slide guitar.

To sum up the gig, it can be quite simply put as "f*@!ing" awesome and well worth the ten hour round trip, as for the man himself you couldn't meet a nicer guy! He really is the "Revolution Man"!!!!


Back Home