One of the best gigs of 2005 was on that hot-as-hell September night when DRIVE BY TRUCKERS blasted their way through a two and a half hour set to a delirious audience in an overcrowded Academy 3. Just 6 months on, I find myself heading east along the M62 to Manchester University with high expectations for what I hope is a repeat performance of that memorable evening.
So what is different? Well for a start it is a cool April night and DBT are appearing in the larger room downstairs. Other than that not a lot has changed. Led by the charismatic Patterson Hood (guitar and vocals) with fellow band members Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell (also guitar and vocals), Shonna Tucker (bass) and Brad Morgan (drums), they take the stage accompanied by their customary bottle of Jack Daniel’s. The set kicks off at a frantic pace with each of the vocalists taking the lead in rapid succession. Early highlights include Isbell’s rendition of ‘The Day John Henry Died’ and a blistering version of ‘Where The Devil Don’t Stay’ which includes some exemplary slide guitar. The band are relaxed, chain-smoking their way through songs from their last 6 albums (these boys are in real trouble when a no-smoking ban is fully enforced). Occasionally, things get a bit ragged when the 3 guitarists let rip but with a solid rhythm section behind them any over-enthusiasm is quickly reigned in.
Song writing duties are split between Hood, Cooley and Isbell, dealing up what is best described as Southern rock with a rootsy edge. Although they have the ability to churn out the big anthems like ‘Let There Be Rock’ in which they recall events from their formative years growing-up in Alabama, doing the things that teenage boys do, and paying tribute to their music heroes (Lynard Skynard, Molly Hatchett etc.), it is the slower, more menacing songs that grab the attention. When Cooley sings the opening lyrics of ‘Cottonseed’ in his southern drawl (‘I came to tell my story to all these young and eager minds, to look in their unspoiled faces and their curious bright eyes, stories of corruption, crime and killing, yes it's true, greed and fixed elections, guns and drugs and whores and booze.’) it conjures up dark images of front porch, back wood life in the deep South. Many of their influences are wrapped up in the songs they have crafted. Masterpieces such as ‘Carl Perkins’ Cadillac’ (a story about Sam Phillips and Sun Records) and ‘Danko-Manuel’ (a fitting epitaph to two of the founding fathers of Americana) are important pieces of music history re-created in song. To me, this is what makes DBT stand out and sets them aside from their peers as something special.
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What you also notice about this band is the bonhomie that exists on stage. They are genuinely enjoying themselves. Spontaneity is apparent when Cooley responds to a request for ‘Zip City’ leaving his fellow band members completely bemused and 2 or 3 chords behind. The songs from the new album ‘ A Blessing and a Curse’ are strong, ‘Wednesday’ and ‘Gravity’s Gone’ being particular highlights. All too soon the gig is over and it is difficult to believe the band have been on stage for well over 2 hours. Gifts of drum sticks and plectrums are generously distributed to the younger members of the audience at the front whilst the old rockers (me included) reluctantly leave with the chant of DBT….DBT…still ringing in our ears.
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