Review: Tom Robinson, Cheese and Grain

Tom Robinson hasn’t released an LP or toured in, ooooh, donkey’s years but he’s got a good new record on the shelves, is out on tour and stopped off at that hidden gem of a venue the Cheese and Grain. So has he still got it? Well hold your horses and let’s review the support act first.

Bristol 24/7 was disappointed to arrive as Swampgrass were concluding their set mainly because they play very palatable blues: there’s a nice groove in the mix and Sharon Honeywell has a pleasingly rich voice (reminiscent of Janis Joplin) coupled with an amiable demeanour on stage. If the final cut played – Little Things – is any indication of the strength of the material on their debut album, then do yourself a favour and pledge a tenner to get it made.

As for the headliner, well he decided to mess with convention somewhat as not only was the set divided in to two halves (to prevent him knackering his voice and “…sounding like Tom Waits..”) but the special guests played their brief set in the intermission. So let’s just check them first:

Kitten Pyramid are a collective endeavour that regularly feature anywhere between two and fifteen people on stage – on this occasion they took the form of a ridiculously funky but thunderous drummer and a chap in a chimp mask and pyjamas. The pair of them performed two cuts that featured chimp-boy playing all of the instruments on stage (er, no, not simultaneously) and conjuring up a funky pop prog melee somewhat reminiscent of the Cardiacs. High Five Scuba Dive was ridiculously convoluted and yet played with such joyful catchy abandon that you couldn’t help but be mesmerised – a local gig soon please.

As for the headliner, firstly Robinson has a great band: Adam Phillips played fluid lead and cranked out the riffs, really nailing the solos on the early material, while Andy Treacey brought the funk & swing to the beat (unsurprising as he’s the touring drummer for Faithless) but also managed to bring a thrilling swagger when the tune required a rock solid foundation. Lee Forsyth Griffiths provided rhythm, opting for acoustic, which gave the tunes a warm feel, and also delighted with a solo spot at the start of the second half. Oh, and hats off to Gerry Diver who hit the keys and supplied mercurial violin. The set was well paced, plenty from the first TRB album, still sounding fresh and, alas, the lyrics still pertinent (yep, they’re still “…carving up the Welfare State…”) and plenty from the new record. Mighty Sword of Justice in particular stood out and a heartfelt Don’t Jump Don’t Fall was introduced with a stunning observation that the biggest cause of death of men under 45 is suicide. Twelve a day people and Robinson gave a well received shout for CALM, which campaigns to try and change this horrendous state of affairs.

War Baby and Atmospherics… represented the mid-period material and the final tune was the title track Only the Now with Robinson’s voice ragged but strong leaving the crowd hoping that there will be more recordings and shows sooner rather than later.