Brothers Of A Feather Live at The Omeara, London Bridge, London.
Brothers Of A Feather
The Omeara, London Bridge, London
12 February 2020
By Decibel Report
A Phoenix rose from the ashes of two separate bands to finally become one and take flight again this evening at the cavern-like Omeara; a location where John Merrick AKA The Elephant Man appeared in public to entertain base Victorian oglers.
The brotherly schism which led the Black Crowes to crash and burn is but a distant memory on tonight’s visual evidence with Chris and Rich Robinson clearly enjoying sharing space together on this cramped stage; to the delight of the few lucky fans crammed into this small capacity venue.
Jokes about the identity of Jack The Ripper and Victorian England set the tone of bonhomie which grew throughout this evening’s run out of acoustic renditions of choice Black Crowes back catalogue cuts.
Interchanging acoustic guitars during this stripped back set, Rich Robinson effectively put on a showcase of guitar craft playing open tunings of E, D and mostly G. A harmonious revelation matched by brother Chris’ powerful and clear vocals. As my gig buddy on the night, Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell (formerly of Bad Company and currently Humble Pie and Bucket’s Rebel Heart ) remarked “you need a singer who has a true rhythm to carry off an acoustic set properly” and Chris Robinson possesses rhythm in spades. And his harmonica playing isn’t bad either!
Heading up a thirteen song set with Jealous Again and Twice As Hard was akin to a sudden wind of change gusting in and blowing open windows and slamming doors. New life was breathed into these Crowes' staples. Reflecting their onstage enjoyment and repartee with a mesmerised congregation, Chris Robinson sung a lungful Thorn In My Pride and She Talks with Angels.
Yet, it was the low-key existential rumination on the wild-west of Whoa Mule which stole the show for most.
Closing this intimate, exploration of the soul of their band's oeuvre, the brothers Robinson provided palliative vibes on a rocking Remedy.
With a beautiful rendering of Lowell George written Little Feat tune Willin' playing everybody out of the venue, this window into the Black Crowes catalogue suddenly shut as the doors flew open to allow we fortunate few to reminisce on a night to remember ahead of the full band electric shows later in 2020.
