Weeks - Garage, London, 22/1/2015

  by Gillian Fish

published: 9 / 2 / 2015

intro

Gillian Fish watches Mississippi charmers the Weeks play a raucous set of Southern rock at The Garage in London

The last time I saw the Weeks was over a year ago when they played a riotous show at Dingwalls in Camden. It was the last time the Mississippi band were over in the UK and I’ve been eagerly awaiting their return, so I headed to the Garage to see them on the London date of their UK tour. The band is touring in support of their ‘Buttons’ EP, which features a re-recorded version of the title track. At the Garage they opened up with ‘Teary Eyed Woman’ from their first album before testing out a couple of newer tracks. The Weeks have been signed to Kings of Leon’s label Serpents and Snakes for the past couple of years, and there are some comparisons to be drawn with earlier records from their fellow Southern rockers. The Weeks, however, have their own sound that although steeped in Americana has a slightly funkier feel to it, especially on songs where the keyboard is featured. ‘Brother in the Night’ from their 2013 record ‘Dear Bo Jackson’ was a highlight of the set with its catchy bass line that saw the majority of the crowd dancing around and singing along. There was also the chance for us to hear some new songs including ‘Book of Ruth’ and ‘Sevens’. During the set the band – made up of twin brothers Cyle and Cain Barnes, Samuel Williams, Damien Bone and Alex Admiral Collier – pass a bottle of Jack Daniels between them, and although it’s a raucous night it never turns into complete chaos. With the band remaining in control throughout their set, it was obvious they were appreciative of the welcome they received. Although they are all still in their early twenties, the Weeks is by no means a new band. They released their debut album ‘Comeback Cadillac’ way back in 2008, and the set is still littered with a number of their earlier tracks including ‘Mississippi Rain’. ‘Ain’t My Stop’ from the second album provided a slower pace as lead singer Cyle croons the lyrics "I ain't supposed to die like this" in his Southern drawl. They finished the main part of the set with ‘White Ash’ before returning to chants of “we want more!” to play another first album song ‘Altar Girl’, before launching into ‘Buttons’. The aforementioned song was also originally featured on ‘Comeback Cadillac’, but the newer EP version sounds tighter and is a phenomenal live track that sees the already rowdy audience reach boiling point. Obviously impressed by their enthusiasm, Cyle launches himself into the riotous crowd for the last few chords. There’s no doubt these guys have all the Southern charm alongside their excellent tunes to win over UK audiences, and hopefully they will be back for another dose of it soon.

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