Jack Savoretti / Buddy

Support is provided by Buddy, which is the name of the frontman, as well as the band and they hail from LA. They describe their music as 'wimpycore' and usually play as a 7-piece. Tonight it's just Buddy and bandmate Will Golden who play pleasant acoustic folk, the last song, 'Salt Point' stands out as it's performed solo in the midst of the audience, which is a great way of endearing the player to the crowd.



Jack Savoretti has been a bit of a slow burner, but at the tender age of 23 he can afford to be. I first saw him a couple of years ago when he stole the show at a Shelly Poole gig by duetting with her on one song, and then again last summer when he captivated a Saturday afternoon crowd at the Innocent Festival. His debut album 'Between the Minds' was released fairly quietly in March of last year and has just been relaunched as a 'deluxe' edition, with an extra unplugged CD.

Over a six week period in February and March, Savoretti allegedly played in 57 Caffè Neros to promote the re-released album. The Dingwalls gig is the last night of a much shorter UK tour and, although the venue is not sold out, there is a fair sized crowd and everyone's very respectful of the music.

It's a relief that there are no drums tonight and only two band members to accompany Savoretti on guitar and pedal steel, keys and harmonica. Their understated playing is perfect for appreciating the poetry in the songs, Savoretti's mellow acoustic guitar playing and his husky, warm vocals. Of half-Italian parentage and darkly handsome, he certainly looks the part of a romantic troubadour, which is perhaps why there's mostly attentive females sitting on the floor in front of the stage.



The set opens with the evocative 'Russian Roulette' and we are gently submerged into Savoretti's melodic and descriptive worlds. The haunting feel of 'Soldier's Eyes' is emphasised by pedal steel accompaniment - "I've seen inside the devil's dreams where young men die and graveyards open up their arms for mothers left to cry." On 'Dreamers' his voice soars with the more dramatic, impassioned lines and then there's the tale of Charles 'Daredevil Lindbergh' who flew the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight. Dawn Kinnard guests on 'Gypsy Love', the most recent single, to add some sultry vocals. Savoretti describes the last song of the main set, 'Dr Frankenstein', as a "lullaby for grown ups." It's greeted enthusiastically and is one of the more instantly hooky songs with a chorus that entices people to sing along – "it's not where you go when you die, it's how you live when you're alive, who you touch and how you feel it."

He returns to play a three song encore – a cover of June Carter's 'Ring of Fire', which Savoretti says he only made sense of a couple of years ago, followed by the lively 'One Man Band' and another cover, 'Bad Moon Rising'. This last song is the most upbeat and noisy of the evening, the band join him along with Dawn Kinnard, and the audience stand to clap and sing along to ensure a rowdy finish to the gig.

It's been a straightforward performance with no gimmicks and minimal banter with the crowd, but with beautiful guitar playing and dreamy songs, and the fact that Savoretti is soothing on the eye as well as the ear, what more do you need?



Set List:
Russian Roulette
Dreamers
Soldier's Eyes
Between the Minds
Apologies
Chemical Courage
Without
Daredevil Lindbergh
Killing Man
Gypsy Love
Dr Frankenstein

Ring of Fire
One Man Band
Bad Moon Rising

FUTURE GIGS