• Released: 16.04.2008
• Plays: 354

• Released: 16.04.2008
• Plays: 254

• Released: 18.10.2007
• Plays: 351

Temple Bar, Oxford - Review 26 April

29/04/2008 By Souljacker

Souljacker's studio recordings promise much but its on stage where they really deliver and Saturday night at the Temple Bar was no exception. From the lively opener "Moonshine" to the dying strains of second encore "Ace of Spades" (demanded by Barry the barman!) they played a stunning set that proved that rock did not die in the 70's, but is alive and well and hanging out in the Cotswolds. Of course, it wouldn't be enough to just repeat the old formula, and Souljacker have added their own twist of 21st century soul and funk (and in the case of "Skankin'", even reggae) to liven the whole thing up. The result is a spellbinding mix of quality modern music, delivered with commitment, a smile and an almost innocent sense of fun. This band looks like it absolutely loves to play together, and the joy is infectious. On Saturday the crowd ranged from a couple of 10 year olds with Metallica T-shirts to several more mature folks who were probably going to gigs in the 70's. All of them were dancing away at the end. It's difficult to pick out highlights but old favourites "Soul Money" and "Jimmy Drank My Tea" really hit the spot, and newer songs like "Eat My Dust" and "Too Young" showed that the well of creativity is far from running dry. The latter was introduced by an E-Street Band style piano intro before turning into a powerful guitar driven epic. Musically, each band member brings something to the party, but none of them fall into the trap of gratuitous soloing. To them the song is king, and they band together to deliver it within an inch of its life. Between songs banter was entertaining too, and when the drummer and keyboard player got bored waiting for the guitarists to tune up they burst into whatever tune they felt like to fill out the time. This was some performance. I can't wait for the next one.