LIVE: Coffee Pot Drive - Jamboree, London 04.04.15

Tucked away in the heart of East London is the almost clandestine Jamboree music venue, which (once you’ve made it past the guarded gates) is a quaint, candle-lit breeding ground for up and coming artists. Located in amongst Cable Street Studios, its relaxed speakeasy vibe welcomes you in with a homely atmosphere and the promise of wrapping your ears around some great new music – and Saturday night’s Twist and Shout Soul Weekender certainly delivered just that.

Kicking off the night was the rockabilly-blues bundle of energy Miss BB who, usually performing as a quartet, instead treated the crowd to a bouncy acoustic set with one of her guitarists. Fit for a hootenanny in the Deep South, she had all the feet in the house tapping along to her up-tempo set, powered by her commanding vocals.

But it was headliners Coffee Pot Drive who really owned the show, an impressive seven-piece Motown outfit fronted by a powerhouse vocalist. With an authentic rootsy blues sound, complete with token harmonica, the band belted out a soul-packed set of new and old tracks, including ‘Deep Freeze’ and the rich ‘Don’t Know Love’. Adding their own twist to a classic genre with some catchy riffs and trademark bluegrass twangs, they also looked to be having a hella good time up on stage, which was soon reciprocated when the crowd were up and dancing along with them.

Standout track was ‘Fallback’, a dramatic piano-fuelled builder with a powerful chorus, which really showcased both the striking lead and backing gospel-like vocals and had you wondering why you hadn’t heard of this band sooner. If you’re lacking some soul in your life, get on down to Coffee Pot Drive’s next show and you certainly won’t be disappointed.