Amp Fiddler / 2004

Had the pleasure of going to see Amp Fiddler perform at
Fiddlers (oddly enough) in Bristol last night. Although I
haven't heard the entire album, the tracks I have heard
featured on Electric Soul and elsewhere were enough to
get me out on a dismally rainy night to check out the live
show.

I wasn't disappointed. The atmoshphere in the venue was
positively warm and sunny - a really good mixed crowd
grooving along to the warm-up DJ playing laid back funk
and soulful tracks to a packed house. The band appeared
and they looked the part; two beaming female vocalists,
a funky bassist, not to mention the drummer and some
rather deft keyboard work. And the frontman himself -
afro, shades, strutting along the stage rolling out the
smoothest moves and a very accomplished vocal talent.

The music itself was exteremely polished and while it
wasn't too hard to detect influences from previous decades -
Stevie, Clinton, Slave to name a few, the sound was in no
way dated. There's a slick contemporary feel to it and and
the visual aspects kept the crowd well focused - bassist
playing behind his head, funky-psychadelic soaring guitar
solos, the gradual stripping of clothes and the sweat.

A thoroughly enjoyable, professional performance that did
justice to the studio work. Recommended if that's your groove.

In a phrase: Superbaaaaaaad soulful futurefunk