On Friday I saw James Hunter (myspace) at Bimbo’s 365 Club. I wrote about Hunter being a class act (and about loving his new album the Hard Way) back in May.

Upon arriving at Bimbo’s, I knew it would be different than the normal fare I see there: the age bracket was much wider as was the style bracket–people were in hoodies and people were in suits and fedoras. There was already a good crowd on the dance floor near the end of the opener’s set. People (some of whom didn’t go to a lot of shows) were out at a show; things were jovial; drinks were flowing.

Bimbo’s seemed like an appropriate venue for the show. The 1930s-era venue would have already been anachronistic by the ’50s and ’60s–the time and music which James Hunter draws his inspiration–but oddly the style seems more appropriate. People were still going to supper clubs in the ’50s to see the Sam Cookes of the world.

Hunter came on applause after a drawn out break after the opener. Dressed in a jacket and shirt and wearing his sunburst Les Paul low around his neck, Hunter, from the get go, was obviously someone who was comfortable on stage and knew how to perform.

I’ve seen some shows where the performer has the audience in the palm of his hand and will follow his every turn. Friday was a different type of performance, though: Hunter is a showman. His band is tight and his between-song banter in his Essex accent was loose but in its own way just as precise. He’d do his band introductions, do a quick one liner (”This song is so romantic, Tommy [the drummer] has to take off his wedding ring.”), make sure the audience was having fun, etc. He also did some old school call-and-response with the audience that ended in him doing some vocal acrobatics that the audience couldn’t follow.

I realize I haven’t talked much about his music yet; I’m not putting it off for dramatic effect. They played really well. The band, as I mentioned, was tight and Hunter sang and played well. They compiled a solid setlist of great tunes mostly off of their last two albums, like “the Hard Way”, “Hand It Over”, “Don’t Do Me Any Favours”, “Carina”, “She’s Got a Way”, “Jacqueline”, “Class Act”, “No Smoke Without Fire”, “Riot in My Heart” and “Talkin’ About My Love”. They also did a couple great covers, like the Five Royals’ “Don’t Do It”.

All in all, it was a fun, fun show.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 9:21 am Posted by adrian in SF bay area, live review, oldies, photos, soul. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.