Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
So, a tough choice for a Friday night during a World Cup Tournament. Footy in the pub or a night of top notch live music?? I chose the latter, which turned out to be a wise choice!
James Robert Morrison, formerly of Punk/Poppers “Carter USM” is in town to promote his latest album. Support for the entire tour is Kingston-upon-Thames trio “Berries”. These three ladies confidently impress the early arrivees with some stellar songs encompassing many genres including Indie, Grunge, Riot Grrrl, Indie/Pop, C86 and a host of others that escape me. They open with little fuss with “Wall Of Noise” which is anything but. Their subtle entrance is a slow builder. Holly (lead guitar/vox) hangs her head over her guitar for most of the set while Lauren (bass) is the chief shapeshifter, patrolling the length and breadth of the stage almost throughout. Lucie (drums) in the engine room is no less important with her measured percussion. “Lies” follows which sees them grow in confidence.
“Copy” comes next, which is one of many single-word titles. By “Silent” they are clearly at home on this stage. Lauren’s throbbing bass is matched only by Holly’s guitar intricacies and now Lucie’s pounding drums – silent they ain’t! “Siren” and “Grow” soon follow before the recent single “We Are Machines” where they move up a gear. They depart us on “Spiral” and once again have no obvious bands of reference for me to mention. To sum up, Berries are carving a nice little niche for themselves with a unique sound, they are maybe that one ‘banger’ away from getting more noticed. I wish them well but for starters, I have to say they impressed me.
So to the main event. “Jim Bob” needs no introduction, and looking at the amount of Carter shirts in the room it’s largely a Carter Reunion crowd. Accompanying him on this latest tour are his band “The Hoodrats”. One by one they take to the stage, before the main man appears. In a grey suit, shiny red boots, and matching glasses, JB makes his entrance.
The opening two songs are rough to say the least, firstly “Thoughts And Prayers” then “Do Re Me…” upon which Jim makes a vocal error before apologising at the end. Tonight’s set is a mix of old and new, incorporating a few classic Carter songs to keep the purists happy. “Kidstrike” is decent, followed by “If It Ain’t Broke” and we duly get the crowd/band banter for good measure. Jim professes his love of rhyme among other topics of conversation. “Stuff The Jubilee” gets a good rousing singalong, which won’t be the first this evening. “Beach Ready Boys” starts a conversation about towns with beaches while a rampant “Only Looney Left In Town” sees a few punters start to move.
I have to admit to not knowing the newer material so well, but the whole room seemed to be singing along to “Lean on Me…” which set us up for the bangers towards the end of the set. “Bloodsport For All” took everyone right back and one could’ve heard a pin drop during “Prince In A Paupers Grave”, as this Bournemouth crowd find their voices in unison. “CCTV Steve” is the penultimate song tonight before Jim delivers a passionate “The Impossible Dream” which comes straight from the heart. He saves band introductions until the end before departing the stage.
Five minutes later they all return, one by one for the encore. “Piano Songs” are the order of the day but sadly this is where things take a turn for the worse. Panic ensues as a punter named “Milton” takes a nasty fall leading to a serious head injury and the show is cut short right there and then. With the crowd somewhat confused Jim wishes us Merry Christmas and thanks us as the band leave the stage for the last time. The mood in the room is now rather sombre as First Aiders and Paramedics deal with the unfortunate chap. I would love to say how wonderful tonight’s show was but some things are just a bit more important. Speedy recovery Milton, until next time…..
Set Lists
Berries
Wall of Noise
Lies
Copy
Silent
Siren
Grow
We Are Machines
Spiral
Jim Bob
Thoughts and Prayers
Do Re Me (So Far So Good)
Kidstrike
If It Ain’t Broke
God Save…
Stuff The Jubilee
The Earth
Beach Ready Boys
The Only Looney Left in Town
Victim
Battling The Bottle
Lean on Me (I Won’t Fall Over)
Papercuts
Summer of
Blood Sport for All
A Prince (in a Pauper’s Grave)
CCTV Steve
The Impossible Dream
Encore
Piano Song(s)
Angelstrike (not played)
Links
https://berriesband.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/JIMBOBFROMCARTER
Review and Media by Ross A. Ferrone.
