White Hassle, Upstairs at the Garage, London
Chiselled of jaw, sharp cut in the denim department, he slings his
guitar round his neck, checks that the dollar bill rests firmly
between the strings and then he steps up to the microphone. To his
right: pots and pans, an upturned bin, and even one real drum. All
of these things are scattered around a scruffy yet hard looking man,
who is seated on a battered chair. The first clears his throat,
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we're white hassle." With that
declaration made, they lash into a clattering 'I Lose Again' -
extracting a rattling but structured musical bedlam from their low
rent tools.
White Hassle, ladies and gentlemen, are the kind of band poetry
would have you stumble upon in a tangled street scene. Something
like the ultimate country blues street musicians. Men fixed to
travel light and born to create a sound weary of heart. It's a
sound that simultaneously harks back to raw garage rock, 50s/60s
country, and some of the blues originals. These two men exude rock
'n' roll spirit while manufacturing a sound that is exquisitely
full, yet handsomely uncluttered.
Whether they are ripping through a an almost honky-tonk version of
'Leave My Woman Alone' or bashing out more of their own timeless
sounding compositions, they sound gleefully unique. The new song
'White Hassle Intro' is particularly special, as Marcellus Hall
puts down his guitar and plays his harmonica as a demon might.
With some serious blues noise lashed tight to Dave Warenka's sharp
percussion on his ragtag drum kit, the song is pure excitement and
bodes well for the next record.
When they're eventually persuaded to do an encore, the final song
sounds suspiciously like a Hasil Adkins number, which pretty much
says it all: a comparison to the little known and awkward
'hillbilly Elvis' seems to fit quite nicely.(Drew)
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