..this was not revivalism. More a nod to the past, a handshake for the present and a full embrace of the future of rock n roll

As Devendra Banhart ambles onstage at the London Apollo with his band Hairy Fairy, a sense of otherwolrdliness descends. That other world being west coast Americana circa 1969. There's an energy and a buzz to the gig, but one met with a devoted attention to an inspiring set including his classic latest offering "Heard Somebody Say".

Devendra begins in truly democratic style remaining seated for the first few songs while his band are the only ones visible from five rows back and onward. A gesture repeated later on when a member of the audience is hauled on stage to sing his own song that could have come straight out of the Banhart canon. So beautifully and confidently rendered that we suspect a plant. By this time the band is in full force with words being mouthed by the audience and screaming requests making this a kind of Love-In Karaoke.

He is a truly remarkable and occasionally surreal artist, with a matching band personality, and certainly knows how to make you feel loved from afar. We were treated to a three-song encore and then drifted out into the cold night on a cloud of patchouli and caftan love. But this was not revivalism. More a nod to the past, a handshake for the present and a full embrace of the future of rock n roll.
~Stephen Berkeley-White
9.

written by on 18/11/2005 00:00:00