A squally night, presaging the storms to come, led to a wet arrival at the Islington Assembly Hall. It was a rushed arrival as well thanks to the vagaries of the Rail Network. But the hall was already a buzz of anticipation for a Canadian double with Toronto’s The Commoners setting things in motion in advance of Saskatoon’s finest The Sheepdogs.
The Sheepdogs have become regular visitors to our shores in the last few years, clearly not holding the inconvenience of their en masse Covid infection against us. Already big in Canada they have steadily built their audience here – a mere six years ago they could be found in The Lexington and the much missed Borderline, a few years later in Lafayette, they’ve played The Roundhouse opening for Larkin Poe and now the nearly 900 capacity Islington Assembly Hall. As a band they have been active for twenty years now, eighteen of those under The Sheepdogs banner. Remarkably their line-up has barely varied in that time – Ewan Currie on guitar and lead vocals, Ryan Gullen on bass, the mighty Sam Corbett on drums, and Shamus Currie on keyboards and guitar. A notable fairly recent change has been the addition of Ricky Paquette on lead guitar, taking the place vacated by Jimmy Bowskill – it’s caused a slight change in style, as Bowskill also added pedal steel to the Sheepdogs’ mix whilst Ricky Paquette is determinedly lead guitar. When trading solos with Ewan Currie there’s a classic ’70s twin guitar feel to the playing, when heading off on his own long track, ably supported by the band, there’s a jam band vibe. This is rock and roll in a Seventies shape – there’s blues in here, there’s classic rock and twin guitar duelling, there’s plenty of Canadian style Southern rock and we may detect more than a little chooglin’.
The Sheepdogs’ driving force is to deliver a good time – and that was an ambition that was pursued from the first to the last note of the gig. They also exhibited an adherence to album democracy – with pretty much every album to date getting a couple of songs onto the set list. Opener ‘Find the Truth‘ was a nippy bit of Wishbone Ashery, guitars chiming in short stabbing licks whilst the underlying importance of Rock and Roll was extolled. The Sheepdogs had certainly hit the road running. ‘Downtown‘ hints at incipient balladry, before revealing a tough guitar powered chorus.
‘Bad Lieutenant‘ led us into the twin realms of the extended solo and the crowd call and response on the chorus, whilst ‘Southern Dreaming‘ took us onto a chirpy country rock byway. It’s a full on rock show with The Sheepdogs – flashing lights, guitar posturing, a bassist who may slide to his knees in pursuit of the deeper note. Subtle it is not, but enjoyable it surely was.
Touching again on the album “Changing Colours” which was arguably the breakthrough release for The Sheepdogs in the UK, there was an outrageously enjoyable ‘I’ve Got A Hole Where My Heart Should Be‘ which unabashedly celebrated being a love ’em and leave ’em kinda guy. Of course – and this should be no surprise by now – it’s also a frame for some fancy guitar work, with wind milling playing finally making an appearance.
Featuring back to back songs from their latest album “Paradise Alone” gave us the somewhat Creedence-ish ‘Now Or Never,‘ the big ballad of the evening and the shamelessly poppy ‘Take Me For A Ride‘ and a return to full on guitar rock, with, yes, extended soloing and for sure call and response interaction with the crowd and also a full false ending – long enough for a full round of applause before the band kicked back into life. Tricksters! ‘Hell Together‘, from their EP of the same title released this year probably reflects on the recent pandemic, since the repeated lyric “We’re lost in time” is delivered without a hint of irony – it is, though, beautifully accompanied by a long and sweet slide guitar solo.
Shamus Currie came into his own as the gig closed out – sure he’d been having plenty of fun at the keyboards throughout, but there’s a theatrical “oh yeah” feel when he straps on a guitar and joins the band’s frontline. ‘Nobody‘ is the most perfect song by The Sheepdogs – a great melody line, a great opening riff, an unabashed statement of the embracing of the rock and roll lifestyle and a great sense of the ironic in its commitment to the over the top gesture. And a four guitar line-up – there are many definitions of rock but three electric guitars and a bass stabbing in unison towards the crowd is surely the embodiment of ’70s rock stylings. That it bops and grooves and is just so darn funky made it the perfect set closer. An encore which featured the glories of ‘Rough Rider 89‘ – which changes pace and styles as it explores the many pathways of guitar rock – even dipping its toe into Deep Purple waters. Then with Shamus Currie leading the band into their final song – this time playing a very retro keytar – for the glam adjacent and very appropriate ‘Feeling Good.‘ Then with a final tossing of plectrums and drum sticks into the audience it was off-stage…until the next time.
The opening support The Commoners couldn’t have been a more perfect choice – these Canadians have a similar attachment to ’70s classic rock, but with a slightly harder edge than the headliners.
Photo: J. Aird
Again a five piece, but with a lead singer who either stalks and postures around the stage, or adds rhythm guitar. When he straps on an acoustic The Commoners veer into out and out soft balladry, but most of the time there is a commitment to louder, more pulsing, rock and roll.
Across their set there would be guitars raised to shoulder height, slide guitar, the bass player down on his knees and guitar players leaning against each other back to back. And drum solos and a lead singer who will declare that we should “get hot and sweaty together, ‘cos that’s what rock and roll is about, man.” The Commoners won the audience over pretty quickly – but to be fair the audience seemed to be more than inclined to be won over. Doubtless another Canadian band we’ll be seeing more of in the near future.
