Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 4th December 2024
In a bit over ninety minutes, The Sheepdogs deliver a masterclass in rock and roll and its enormous scope, along with some natty stagecraft. Straddling the Creedence / Allmans / Yacht / Blues Rock divides, the classic rock vibes are strong; swapping and changing things up to keep ears happy.
With twin guitars chiming together in an Allman Brothers style or the rhythm / lead combo allowing soaring leads, the sound is full and coordinated. Songs like ‘Bad Lieutenant’ show off the band’s blues heritage. Visually, Ricky Paquette on lead guitar thrusts, dips and poses as much as the bass player, who pulls the moves on the other side in a shiny jacket and cowboy hat. This allows Ewan Currie to stand stage front and deliver his rich vocals. Backing it up are keyboards and drums. Keys run the range from piano to Hammond to a Casio feel. We get some slide guitar, we get some great harmonies (these boys can really sing), we get songs that could have been jukebox hits in an alternate universe, we get all sorts.
I’m delighted that they stretch it out more than when I saw them six years ago, allowing themselves some time and space. ‘Scarborough Street Fight’ sees them drop into a dark beat so the guitar can solo on a wash of keys. As the stage lights dim and dry ice rises, the band goes deep and everyone gets to run things out a bit. As they approach the end of the set, ‘I Don’t Know’ sees a mini-drum solo before ‘Nobody’, which the crowd welcomes as a long-lost friend for its extended instrumental with Allmans-style chiming leads and the keyboardist picks up a guitar to add that extra rock onslaught. Up for fun, a keytar appears for an encore, followed by a fun Glam stomp and a happy crowd (sold-out tonight).
I thought it was brave of the band to bring fellow Canucks, The Commoners, as support. Their full-on seventies classic rock approach, strutting band, showmanship and intent front-man in Chris Medhurst, packed forty minutes and were a very hard act to follow. Rule #1 of rock is usually to pick a mediocre support band and give them crappy sound. The Sheepdogs took this as a challenge and their steady professionalism and confidence in their rockin’ chops won them through.
Pictures of The Commoners below our links
This was a very good value night of two excellent bands that only leaves me wondering why there are so many excellent Canadian bands playing classic Southern Rock and whether L’Oreal sponsored the tour.
We saw The Sheepdogs in 2018:
https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/the-sheepdogs-round-em-up-in-leeds/
and we have shots of them at other gigs back then:
https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/the-sheepdogs-the-deaf-institute-manchester/
https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/the-sheepdogs-supporting-rival-sons-o2-academy-leeds-04-02-2019/
It’s only a few months since we saw The Commoners headline a gig and were very impressed:
https://www.vanguard-online.co.uk/the-commoners-live-in-leeds-2024-loud-together-polished-energetic/
The Commoners in shots:
