Music certainly doesn't come much meatier and heavier than this. On the hottest day of the year so far, Bristol venue The Thekla is packed to the rafters. What makes that unusual on such a day is that The Thekla is a vast iron boat, with no form of air conditioning. It is moored in the floating harbour in the Bristol docks, and whilst on of the most popular venues in the city, it boasts the stickiest floor of any place I've ever been.
The doors open early at six thirty as there is a curfew at 10pm, so the place starts to fill up pretty quickly. First up is MIRACULOUS MULE, the gospel blues power trio from Kentish Town, who get the crowd in the mood right from the very start, opening with their cover of Chuck Berry's 'Downbound Train'. Chuck originally released this in 1955, but Miraculous Mule put so much more into it, that they've virtually made the song their own. They released their version on the 'Miraculous Mule' 10" six track mini album back in 2011, and it just gets better with each hearing.
It is a testament to their musical ability and drawing power, that as support, they manage to pack out the area in front of the stage within a couple of songs. Punters who would usually have been content to stay at the bar now push forward as the band launch into 'Country Circuit Preacher' from their debut album 'Deep Fried'.
Another favourite, which really raises the stakes is 'Caravan Rock', a rolling, thundering tune with several shifts in tempo, that made it a sure fire winner tonight. As far as I am aware, this was Miraculous Mule's first Bristol gig, but well, judging by the audience response, they went down a storm and I sincerely hope they return soon.
The JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION takes to the stage shortly after 8PM. By this time the atmosphere is already steamy, with sweat practically dripping off the walls. They immediately launch into 'Black Mold', taken from their last album 'Meat and Bone', which basically sets the pace for the rest of the evening.
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For the next hour and a half, The JSBX just do not let up. Their unique brand of crunching blues riffs with garage rock fuzz and a little rock 'n' roll thrown into the mix has always made then a stand out act. Jon Spencer himself is mesmerising as a performer, constantly ducking and weaving, and appearing to channel the spirit of Hasil Adkins into his vocals, with more gasps, whoops and vocal tics than a hillbilly on a crate of moonshine and bop pills.
Half the time, I couldn't understand what the hell he was on about, but who cares, c'mon everybody! For me the stand out track of the evening was 'Get Your Pants Off' with it's fuzzy, funky riff this was rock sleaze personified.
Due to the curfew, the gig was over by nine forty, and the audience slowly filed out of the dripping venue, some looking dazed as if wondering what had hit them. Tonight, between the two power trios of Miraculous Mule and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, they nearly blew the goddam boat straight out of the water. Nuff said!
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion online
Miraculous Mule online
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