Unsigned Act Of The Week: Stoneface Travellers LIVE at The Social 31.08.13

Since first seeing Emile Gerber play solo earlier this year at The Finsbury, I have been keen to to take up as many opportunities as possible to witness the raw, bluesy goodness of his band, Stoneface Travellers. Each time I’ve seen them, they’ve blown me away, and last Saturday at The Social was no exception. I therefore couldn’t go another week without giving them the highly esteemed title of Gigslutz Unsigned Act Of The Week.

With soulful, penetrating vocals, Gerber leads the band whilst executing intricate riffs and flawless licks on slide guitar, alongside friendly giant of a drummer, Micah Woulfe, who is not only capable of perfectly pounding out thumping blues beats, but also manages to play the harmonica at the same time – a feat which, I would say, is on a par with patting your head and rubbing your tummy, but with much nicer sounding consequences. Making up the trio currently is a new bassist, whose name I unfortunately don’t know, but who was certainly able to keep up with the talent of her peers, laying down slick and steady bass lines, successfully maintaining the extremely tight rhythm section that Stoneface Travellers have become known for. (Plus, her rather overly active eyebrows were an entertaining addition to the performance.)

Despite simply being a trio, Stoneface Travellers sound like a much bigger group – the intense sound that exudes from these three musicians is pretty impressive. Whilst maintaining an effortlessly cool appearance, they blast out magnificent, colossal waves of raw blues with a touch of Americana and rock. Songs such as ‘I Don’t Really Love You’ and ‘Train Song’ are gritty, feedback-filled anthems, reminiscent of contemporary legend Seasick Steve, oozing tight bass riffs and flowing harmonica melodies alongside Gerber’s powerful, husky vocals and slide guitar skills. Other songs are more traditional, taking one back to the sounds of classic blues artists like Robert Johnson.

So, after I had got over all the usual irritations that tend to arise at gigs: previous bands not sticking around to see the wonderful headliners, lighting in the wrong places, and rather overbearing comperes, I was able to enjoy – once more – the fantastically raw, unpretentious talent that is Stoneface Travellers. I came to The Social with high hopes, and I was certainly not to be disappointed – in spite, or perhaps because of, a change in lineup, they were blasting out their bare blues with as much spirit and skill as ever; so much so, that I would eagerly see this trio another trio of times without hesitation. And if you, too, are a fan of soulful slide guitar and rocking blues, I highly recommend you join me.

Mari Lane

@marimindles

http://youtu.be/6e03eh5wRhU

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.