The 45's LIVE @ The Blues Kitchen, Camden 25.4.14

The 45s capture the spirit and style of a classic R&B band but infuse this with a modern 21^st century attitude. There is something about this group of lads that is really endearing which makes you gravitate to their mature musicality even more. Individually, all are incredibly talented musicians who incorporate their own music preferences, ability and personality, culminating in an explosive hit of raw rock ‘n’ roll.

Having never been to a gig at The Blues Kitchen in Camden before, and after many failed attempts over the last 4 months, nor had I seen a live performance by The 45s until Friday; the night itself seemed rather unpredictable because of this. It’s is the only venue I have ever set foot in that is so dark and reminiscent of a Latin dance club (including the dimmed red lighting) but somewhere that made you feel as if you were no longer in Central London but an American Blues shack, at the same time. This reflected upon the masses of people dancing with drinks in hands, warm to say the least. Adding to the atmosphere and as watches neared quarter to midnight, The 45s took the stage.

Playing into the early hours of Saturday morning, The 45s set was comprised of both brilliant covers and incredibly strong originals. Their single “Devil of a Woman”, was aggressively attacked, the drumming backbone of this song was lifted by precisely delivered vocals, heavy but brilliant guitar and an obsessive bass that really got everyone moving. What was most noticeable, was how tightly sounding the band were with no discrepancy between songs: theirs and otherwise. It’s something that is obviously not just down to lots of practice but you can tell they simply love being on stage.

Within the first 15 minutes they had stormed through 4 songs and were well into their 5^th in the form of ‘Billie Jay’ which saw us all firmly past midnight. All of these were consistently as good as the last, not crumbling to the knees of the fast progression through songs. A large group of dancing girls congregated quickly at the front of the stage beneath their feet, something that didn’t seem to put the lads off, if anything they all looked as if they were pretty happy about it.

The 45s have bundles of energy and heaps of talent which is really seen in their version of “I’m A Man” originally by Blues legend himself, Bo Diddley. The whole of the tightly packed audience, including the excitable girls, all stamped their feet in sync with the heavy beat that woke the room out of their (possibly drunken) daze. A band that can turn people away from their drinks and win them over after a few songs, are truly great at what they do. A definite highlight of the evening and the thing that made one gentleman in the audience to shout loudly across the room to his friend at the opposite side ‘These guys are so f*****g cool!’ was a rendition of ‘Ooh Poo Pah Doo’ which was effortlessly delivered with the highest level of confidence and energy yet keeping that traditional bluesy sound, the original has.

Fast becoming very popular, and no wonder why with such a stage presence, and of course fantastic recorded songs, an exciting vibe is beginning to develop around The 45s and everyone should be a part of it.

PHOTO: Derek D’Souza