The One-Man Band Turned on the Style
The Levi's OnesToWatch gig series has been running for three years and has an impressive list of previous performers, which reads as a who's who of the biggest names in alternative music in 2006. Scissor Sisters, Bloc Party, Mylo, Hard-Fi, The Kaiser Chiefs and Tom Vek have all graced the stage during one of these events. The gigs run at Barfly venues around the UK, this one was at the Camden version. Already this year Jim Noir, Jeremy Warmsley, Kill The Young, The Boy Least Likely To, Larrakin Love, The Spinto Band, The Dykeenies, Morning After Girls and The Maccabees have all played, this time it was the turn of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
This act is the one man band product of the musical creative flare of Southend teenager Sam Duckworth. He specializes in socially aware lyrics and is clearly a bloke who is concerned with what is going on in the wider world. Tonight we had a topical reference to bird flu as well as a dig at what he sees as histerical coverage on the part of the Daily Mail, and mentions of anti war gigs he has played alongside Belle and Sebastian, this is not your average emotion driven song writer.
It isn't often you can say that, here's an artist who has a very unique sound. Get Cape's appeal is likely to stretch across many music tastes as it mixes the softer, acoustic based emo rock sound of Funeral For A Friend or Hundred Reasons, with electronic beats and base lines which are reminiscent of Massive Attack. Ocasionally this drifts off into drum and base territory, and all this makes it a very interesting fusion of styles.
Although he is a one man band, creating his music on guitar and laptop, he was joined on stage by a trumpeter and violinist. For someone of that age (19), performing in front of an expectant crowd might seem a dornting experience, but the power in his vocals suggests a man who is full of confidence, even if in between the songs sometimes from the back it was hard to hear what he said. That said, he grew as the forty minutes went on, carried by the enthusiastic response of a packed house.
The Camden Barfly was rammed to the point of hardly being able to move and although there have only been a couple of limited single releases from Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, at times at least three quarters of the crowd new the words to his songs and were singing with the sort of enthusiasm you'd associate with a major festival appearance. A combination of touring and having his tracks on the net via the likes of MySpace must be the reason for this, and what has got Atlantic Records interested. With major label backing there's no doubt that Duckworth can progress up the alternative music ladder over the next couple of years.
He is on the line-up for Download, it will be interesting to see how he is received. For me he's more of a Glastonbury or Reading artist, but his style is such that he could fit in at most places as diverse as rock to folk events.