Dawes

Monday 4th November. Islington Assembly Hall, London. Dawes. It’s been three long years since Dawes have graced these shores spookily playing the same venue on the same date in 2016. The show sold out a few weeks back which is impressive given the length of time that has passed and indeed the 15 or so months since the last album came out. Whilst I will always prefer to see bands at small venues, it’s probably time for an upgrade for Dawes to say the 1500 capacity Electric Ballroom next time.

It’s very much a best of show tonight with an almost equal number of tracks from every album showcased tonight. You know it’s going to be a good one when they start with ‘If I wanted someone’. Over the course of the six albums Dawes now have a solid ten or so absolute classic songs and the question is can they back these up with a strong second suite. I’m never going to be a fan of ‘Stories Dont end’ or the latest album ‘Passwords’ but I thought the version of ‘Crack the Case’ from the latter was superb tonight. This provided a subtle delicate departure from the rest of the set that was full of bombast, shredded guitar, crazy drum n bass and stirring organ.

First and foremost Dawes are an exceptional group of musicians. When you couple this with the intelligent lyrics, (Tequila aside), of Taylor Goldsmith then it’s the perfect recipe. There were some real rock out moment tonight’s and while I have always admired Taylor’s picking he didn’t waste any opportunities to launch into a blistering guitar solo. As always Griffin provides more than the beats but perfect complimentary harmonies with Wylie’s fingers continuously moving over his bass’ fret board. What stood out for me tonight, which I hadn’t appreciated as much, was Lee Pardini’s dextrous keyboard skills. Stunning.

As always in this great venue, the sound was spot on from the first note. Its only drawback, despite it being a cold night outside, was the sauna like temperatures inside.

The crowd were on fine from vocally on the night on the usual favourites but of course especially on ‘When my time Comes’ and set closer ‘All Your Favourite bands’. A special mention for ‘Somewhere along the way’ which is one of my favourite tracks of theirs performed impeccably tonight.

After six or seven shows now for me, Dawes never fail to raise the bar and maintain those standards. I defy anyone not to have a good time listening to this band and everyone here leaves with a broad satisfied smug grin on their faces. Good to see the merch stand busy after the gig to further support the lives of touring musicians.

Keep on rockin y’all

Thursday 27th August. Oslo, Hackney. Dawes. It’s almost a full house tonight with John, Graham, The Twin Towers and Birds Eye Andy in attendance. With the tube strike averted it’s a relaxed journey out East to Hipster Ville.

With perfect timing we arrive into the packed room, beer in hand, as the band take to the stage. It’s the third or fourth time we have seen Dawes and after two excellent albums, a patchy third they have hit gold again with the aptly titled All your Favourite Bands and they certainly are one of mine.

They open up with a couple from the new album ‘Can’t think about it ‘ and ‘Right on Time’ and then onto one of my favourite tracks ‘If I wanted Someone’ which is the first sing out loud moment of many that night for this small band of middle aged backing vocalists.

There’s not much banter and it’s a rattle through a good selection of songs across the four albums and even tracks from ‘Stories Don’t End’ hold their own against the more established set pleasers. A storming version of ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ gets the crowd going but it’s the epic ‘When my Time Comes’ that brings the house down and is responsible for many a sore throat the next day.

This is a band on top form musically at the moment with some great pop songs and Taylor Goldsmiths sublime voice that reminds you of so many great singers from Elton John to Jackson Browne. Their music has all of the hallmarks of seventies Laurel Canyon but brought bang up to date.

After probably one too many beers, the merry band of musical brothers decant to the station agreeing this was the best we have seen them and luckily I have only a couple of weeks before I do it again as they support My Morning Jacket. It’s my fourth five star gig of a very good year.

Keep on rockin’ y’all

Dawes are a band that I’ve been meaning to see since we were turned away from a small SXSW show in 2010. The boys from Malibu have always reminded me of Jackson Browne with a little Wilco thrown in, but I’ve found myself filing them away in the ‘sounds good, but never really listen to’ cabinet with bands like Delta Spirit and Cold War Kids. They have that Laurel Canyon sound, and each solid album is followed by another solid album, but none of them stand out enough to hold my attention in this age of limitless listening options. That being said, they are no strangers to opening slots at Red Rocks, so they came out and did their job like true professionals last night. Not quite enough to appeal to the kids in our care, but enough to get me moving and singing along. They made the most of their time by touching on material from across their entire career, but surprisingly enough it was the selections from All Your Favorite Bands that hit the hardest. As they closed their set with the title track to that album, I realized how much I could relate to their simple, but clever lyrics. As that chorus rang out between the rocks, I couldn’t help but glance over at the girls and wonder if they would ever understand… - See more at: http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2015/08/03/hozier-dawes-red-rocks-08-02-15/#sthash.FPtbDJZs.dpuf

I went to my first Dawes show at 9:30 Club out of a passing familiarity with the band. Since then, I have grown to love Dawes, and their live shows in particular.

They are a very technically proficient and professional band, which is always a pleasure to watch. Beyond that, they have great charisma on stage fuelled by several anthem-like highlights and an energetic fan base.

I have since seen them two more times. The best appearance was easily at Islington Assembly Hall. A local power outage plunged the venue into darkness, halting their normally electric set. When it was clear the power wasn't returning anytime soon, they sat on the stage and played an acoustic set until the power was restored. I wish they would feature an acoustic component at more of their shows, as it was truly memorable and fits their music quite well.

They tend to play small to medium venues, unless they are opening for bigger bands like Mumford and Sons. Highly worth the visit, especially if you can see them in a smaller setting, though, they certainly held their own opening for Mumford!

I imagine one of the reasons indie-folk outfit Dawes have gained such global acclaim since their career beginnings in 2009 is the organic, natural way in which they perform their live show. There are so many artists who try and cause outrage or controversy through performance in order to gain attention, yet the strength of Dawes' music is enough to write home about.

A refreshing, honest songwriting and use of traditional instruments makes for a brand of folk that is equally devastating as it is momentous. You find yourself tapping your feet whilst listening to some really poignant lyrics but the formula works. Each band member showcases their musical abilities well onstage, particularly Tay Strathairn on keys tonight who reminds us that real keys should not be replaced with synth. Meanwhile lead vocalist Taylor Goldsmith really demonstrates his range and abilities during 'Time Spent in Los Angeles' and clearly lays stake to Dawes' claim of the market.

Dawes has a very captivating, charismatic and exciting stage presence as always. During the whole concert I barely sat at all and was always cheering and sing along at the top of my lungs; it was fantastical! But I wish they had picked a more inclusive venue because Taft Theater, after all, is a theater with rows of seats that inevitably disrupt fans from getting the best location they want like general admission would allow. I went to see them at the Newport Music Hall two months ago when they toured to Columbus, and I got to stand by the very edge of the stage and got integrated into a larger crowd whose enthusiasm was condensed thus maximized. Also, the friend who came with me for the first time fell in love with Dawes even though she never heard them before! All in all, Dawes is super fly and oh boy they put on a show you never wanna miss X)

Unbelievably great Dawes concert in a terrific, intimate venue -- Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, Illinois. A fantastic set list featuring several songs from their new album and concluding with the title track, "All Your Favorite Bands." I sure hope, as the lyrics say, these guys stay together. They're sure one of my favorite bands. Addition of Duane Betts (son of Allman Brothers legend Dickey Betts) on second lead guitar is a big plus. I think you can hear his dad's influence in his playing, but it fits in extremely well. He and front man Taylor Goldsmith do some beautiful double leads. My son, sister and I got there early, and camped out in front of the stage. Our ears are still ringing, but what an unforgettable night. Not to be overlooked, the pricey tickets ($150 a pop) were to benefit a great cause, the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry.

This was the first time seeing Dawes and to be honest Id go to the Ace to watch grass grow,I love going to these old vaudeville theaters for live music.The bands performance was great and they give off a great energy.Just from watching older footage of the band (on YouTube),pre Betts era Id have to say that since adding him the entire dynamics of the band have changed for the better.Its allways fun watching a group of musicians clicking and having a blast doing it on stage.The outcome is usually a great performance,for them for us the fans and for Rock n Roll in general.Keep on keeping on boys & Ill see you next time you come through town,cheers. Im just a fan -D.C.from L.B.

Dawes are something of a "marmite" band, you can either take them or leave them.
However, regardless of whether you admire the band or not, you would be hard pushed to say that they were nothing other than on very top form at this gig.
It was a great show, delivered with commitment and passion.
OK the latest album isn't my favourite, but they were sensible enough to play only the tracks that translated well into the live arena, with much of the material from this live set drawing on their extensive back catalogue.
The band enjoyed the gig too, and with this easily being the finest sounding venue in Halifax, this was utilised to the full by this excellent set of musicians.

Antics: Well the bass player is a contortionist as well as playing some kick ass lead on his instrument. I at times wondered if he could untangle himself from the spaces he meleded into so he could hear those amps. The only experience I had was youtube video and let me tell you that is nothing like the live show no matter the line-up which is I believe celebrated in one of the lyrics which are all very clever and fun. I was not expecting to hear the scorching leads and the drummer never let up. I can't say enough about how delightfully surprised I was and the acoustic parts with harmony just iced the whole cranking cake.