Altsounds - Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam - London, The Borderline [Live]

Davy Knowles is back from the States with his band Backdoor Slam after spending three years promoting his new album “Coming up for Air” with a homecoming gig at the Borderline in Soho, and after a long busy day I’m back in the rain to be Altsounds’ ears and eyes at the event.

To be honest, I didn’t have time to check out the band’s work before making my way to the Borderline, and a “blind gig” after a long day is a double edged sword - it could be a great conclusion to an eventful day, or the last thing you need after all you’ve been through.

Support comes from Bobby Long, country folk talented guitarist / singer, warming up the intimate gig with an unplugged set full of atmosphere. Bobby has also been touring the States and co-writing a song for the Twilight soundtrack in his spare time. Get your cowboy boots out and grab a beer- the first place that comes to mind listening to this guy is Austin, Texas, music capital of the world. You could almost forget the awful weather outside, if it wasn’t for poor Bobby moaning about it between songs.

Bobby Long comes across as one of those shy artists that regardless of his talent is not aiming for arenas; he seems quite happy playing in this intimate venue, looking down at his guitar and mostly avoiding eye contact. He’s playing again in London this week, so check out his MySpace page Bobby Long on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads and you may want to make a romantic night out of it, with your other half or just a few friends and pints.

Time for Backdoor Slam and most of all Davy Knowles: just 22 years old, this kid has been opening for the likes of The Who, Kid Rock, Chickenfoot, Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon, George Thorogood and more recently Jeff Back, and it’s rumoured he’s not only a promising, but indeed an excellent guitar player. My expectations are high, and I’m also hoping Backdoor Slam can bring up the pace a bit. As much as I loved Bobby Long, I’m running out of steam and I’m in need of a can of Redbull or its musical equivalent.

Forget energy drinks! Davy Knowles wakes me up with his infectious bluesy rock sound. I’m soon dancing like a woman possessed and man, let me say, this guy doesn’t just play his guitar. He makes love to it, and makes it scream and sing with a passion rarely seen before.
Backdoor Slam introduce themselves with ‘Riverbed’ from new album “Coming up for Air,” followed by the title track, and Davy Knowles’ new creature goes straight on my must-have list. ‘Messing up with the Kid’ and ‘Gotta Leave’ give me a taste of his old material. ‘Tear Down the Walls’ is another fine rock blues piece from “Coming up for Air,” then back to the old with ‘Come Home’ and ‘Outside.’ ‘Almost Cut my Hair’ is my personal favourite for tonight.

Crowd pleaser ‘Heavy on my Mind’ precedes ‘Keep on Searching,’ co-written with Peter Frampton and simply a classic, which seems just too big for the Borderline’s intimate set up. Then again, this is where this kind of warm, feel good music gives out its best vibe.
There’s an encore, ‘It’ll all Come Around,’ and then it’s time to introduce one by one the talented Backdoor Slam (I was particularly impressed by the keyboard player) and finally Davy Knowles himself.

Once again, I find myself troubled, having to review a gig I can hardly justify with words. I can tell you how good the songs are and what talented musicians they are, but the truth is I was hypnotised by Davy’s hands, caressing those chords and riffs and getting sounds out of his guitar that I didn’t know a guitar could make. I could feel his passion just looking at his facial expressions, and I feel slightly powerless now for not being able to describe it better here.

Doesn’t matter if you are a talented musician yourself or you can’t really tell a guitar from a bass, after seeing Davy Knowles live you will finally know what it really means to play guitar. Check out new album “Coming up for Air” and bookmark Blues rock musician — Davy Knowles to make sure you don’t miss the next Backdoor Slam gig near you.