The gig, Jim Bob at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, was a special occasion. A celebration of 40 years in music, with an epic 40 song set covering single releases and 19 albums. A set that would cover his beginnings in Jamie Wednesday, his solo career right up to latest releases, and (of course) his time with Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.
But before I get into the review (TL/DR it was a great set to a sold out and enthusiastic audience) I want to talk about the mystery of the perception of Carter. They don’t get talked about, their music isn’t mentioned in indie history think-pieces or documentaries and if I mention to them to anyone under 30 (possibly 40) they don’t know who they were. This is a band that number 1 albums, headlined Glastonbury, a string of popular singles. They mixed witty and insightful lyrics with incredibly catchy and distinctive music. I don’t have an answer to why this is, it just mystifies me when they were such a great and singular band.
Anyway, enough musings and back to the gig. Before the main event the band had a DJ on stage in support. This was a smart idea as he played a very crowd pleasing set of 90s indie music, whilst building the crowd up and getting the party started. The Shepherd’s Bush Empire was packed to the gills an hour before the Jim Bob set was due to start and the crowd were clearly up for a celebratory night.
The gig started with Jim Bob alone on stage, suited and holding an acoustic guitar. He proceeded to start his 40 song set with songs going back to his earliest years, including pre-Carter music from Jamie Wednesday. After a couple of songs he was joined on stage by long time collaborator Chris T-T who added piano to the next 10 or so songs. For reasons that would become obvious the music wasn’t presented in chronological order, but very well judged to keep the audience in party mood as he mixed the hits with deeper cuts.
Things really started to kick-off when he brought his backing band, The Hoodrats, on to crank things up for the remainder of the night. They’re a great band capable of handling the softer stuff as well as the big pop bangers and the crowd mood lifted even higher from this point forwards.
Inevitably the Carter tracks got the wildest reaction, but recent tracks like Thanks For Reaching Out got such a good response that this wasn’t just a crowd who were only going to respond to the big nostalgic hits. Keeping a crowd this entertained over a 40 song set is something of an achievement, particularly showing that much stage energy from a singer in his 60s.
There were a few special moments for this celebration gig, including a horn section who added a great sound to a handful of songs. Perhaps the least surprising surprise was the appearance of Les “Fruitbat” Carter for a couple of songs towards the end of the gig. He got a hero’s reception and seemed to be loving his guest appearance.
Anyone counting at the “end” of the set, 38 songs in, wasn’t going to be surprised when the band returned for an encore. The Only Living Boy In New Cross properly brought the house down, before the band (with Fruitbat again on show) brought things to completion. As a celebration of a singular career it was a gig that would be pretty hard to beat.
Carter albums have been getting reissues recently, and I urge the uninitiated to check them out. Jim Bob is releasing tow albums on the same day later this year, they are bound to be witty and clever and filled with hooks, check them out too.
Words and picture Dorian Rogers
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