To label The Dead Weather a side project (or even a side side project in Jack White’s case) seems disrespectful. The amount of energy and enthusiasm they put into their gigs show that this is a group of musicians with no desire to live off their past successes. A group not content with having only one outlet.
The Dead Weather
The band ripped through every song from their debut ‘Horehound’ in a whirlwind of bluesy licks and feedback that lasted just over an hour. There are bands that need crowd interaction, and those that don’t. This band let their music do the talking.
On stage they are a joy to behold. Performing with a confidence and swagger of a band that have been together for years instead of months. Alison Mosshart is even more unhinged than she is with The Kills, she seems almost possessed on stage, letting the music thrash and writhe her body in all manner of unnatural positions yet never missing a single word or note, only calming down when strapping on her Bo Diddley style guitar. Jack White plays the drums like a kid on Christmas day, hitting as hard and fast as his arms can manage. Flanking them ‘Little’ Jack Lawrence and Dean Fertita provide the stability, fusing blues with garage rock through a combination of their instruments.
High points included the near perfect opener ’60 Feet Tall’, a brooding ‘So Far From Your Weapon’ and extended closer ‘Treat Me Like Your Mother’ which saw a wave of crowd surfing and moshing.
Whilst at their first UK gig in Kentish Town in July Jack White only stepped out from behind his kit for one song, last night he strapped on his guitar for three songs. And it may be cliché, but the highlight of the gig was the performance of ‘Will There Be Enough Water?’ with Jack on lead guitar.
This song was the highlight at that first gig and unfortunately the album version failed to live up to expectations, proving to be a much tamer version. However, when performed live this song is a beast. With Little Jack stepping behind the kit and proving himself a more than capable drummer, Jack White produced some incendiary solos and some intense mic sharing with Mosshart. The two have a chemistry on stage nearly at the level of Mosshart and her Kills bandmate Jamie Hince, which is surprising after such a short time together.
It is the ease and speed with which this band has formed that is the most amazing thing about them. In an age when some bands are satisfied with only releasing material every few years, these like-minded musicians have gone from relative strangers to a modern supergroup in just a matter of months through their shared love of making music.
The smiles on their faces when lining up for a bow at the end as feedback still screamed from the speakers says all you need to know about this band. They love what they do, and so do we.
Check out some live videos of The Dead Weather here
Tim Marklew
