Son of Dave - Farmhouse, Canterbury, 29/4/2010

  by Paul Waller

published: 29 / 4 / 2010

intro

Paul Waller enjoys an impressively ramshackle performance at the Canterbury Farnhouse from chaotic, but endearing one-off Son of Dave

Now it feels like summer. Outside the rain trickles on but inside Canterbury’s Farmhouse the flamboyantly dressed Benjamin Darvill better known as Son of Dave is burning up the house. It’s a ramshackle performance that repeatedly falls apart but that really adds to the eccentric Son Of Dave experience. If I had a penny for every time one of his effects pedals' batteries failed or his mouth organ fell apart I’d probably still not be able to afford one of the insanely overpriced drinks at the bar but you get the idea. Yet as soon as something goes wrong instead of creating an awkward silence while he fixes bits and bobs he lets the loops run and just launch himself into another blues driven, beat boxing number that doesn’t utilise the faulty gear. It’s a rare skill and works best on the floor thumping numbers like 'I Just Wanna Get High with You'. This ‘don’t like that then try this’ attitude coupled with his likable nut case banter with the audience makes a refreshing change from the serious stand offish approach solo artists tend to adhere to these days. As the set progresses, just like on his recordings things do get a little repetitive. He will stamp on the floor, do some bass rhythms and then sample them and loop it. Every bloody song is the same but as with punk band Bad Religion and aging rock gods AC/DC, if you only have one song, make it a bloody good one. Son of Dave thankfully fits into this category. As I left the venue my thoughts were of the couple that Benjamin coerced up onto the stage. He offered them a glass of wine and the entire contents of his rider. Just for turning up to his show. Now that is hospitality. You won’t get that going to see Coldplay in some enormodome. That’s for sure. This article was published originally on Paul Waller's blog http://wallernotweller.wordpress.com. The photographs that accompany it were taken by Paul Waller.

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