Blue's Explosion + Power Solo @ Concorde 2
Brighton, Tuesday 20th September,

The Blues explosion hop over for a whistle stop tour before jetting back off again, tonight they're playing Brighton as a warm up to there special ATP show in London, where they will be playing the classic 'Orange', It might not surprise you to learn that tonight they choose to use tonight as a warm up for this and play the album in it's entirety, but before that we have the nights support band to discuss.

The Blue's explosion are one of those rare bands that are well known for always picking good support acts, in the past they've had The Yeah Yeah Yeah's, The Kill's and TINC, tonight like usual they don't disappoint bringing a little known Danish three piece called Power Solo along with them.
It's pretty evident that American culture in general like there Crunchy Frog label mates The Raveonette's has been quite a large influence on them.
Power solo have a rockabilly punk feel to their music, sounding like a cross between The Cramp's, Johnny Cash, JSBX and a sedate Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster with the majority of the audience being suitably impressed by what they hear and see.

I'm not one to usually throw around words like seminal but in the case of the Blue's explosion it is a tag that is well deserved.
Tonight we're treated to an outing of there 1994 album Orange in both its entirety and with the exact same running order.

Some may question why one would go to a gig where you knew what songs are going to be played before you go, but with the Blues Explosion you always know what you're going to get beforehand. You're going to dirty blues punk, Jon Spencer will leer and scream into the microphone, he will also shout out "Blue's Explosion" at least several times during the night, Judah Bauer will coolly stand to one side supplying the steady riffs and understated lead while Russell Simins will pummel away at the drum kit.

In recent years it does seem that theirs been a countless amounts of bands that they have been a major influence on, even though this influence hasn't always been credited and Orange has been the main instigator of this. Song's like 'Bellbottoms' and 'Sweat' have been emblazoned onto the sleeve's of many a young man and tonight they are played with as much energy and determination as if it's the first time they're being aired. By the time of 'flavor' we know it's soon going to end, Judah Bauer rap's Beck's part's before it stop's and then they kick in with 'greyhound'.

When they've finished playing they leave the stage briefly before returning and playing an encore which last's longer than many bands main set's and will include a dedication to RL Burnside.
In a time where it seems that many bands seem to take there foot off the peddle and relax after the release of there first album only to return with a luke warm and passionless second before disappearing, the blues explosion are a breath of fresh air. If only more bands could show as much commitment, determination and passion as them.

By Nathan Westley
Pix by Mike Burnell

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