London Day 7

We had our second day off on Friday and Jeremy took us to see Ice Black Birds. at The Macbeth.

Ice Black Birds is the second project of Sam Dennison who used to front The Matadors. According to their myspace: “IBB are a bluesy four piece from Brighton via London. They draw influence from 60s and 70s rock ‘n’ roll. They formed from the ashes of old London, Sheffield and Scottish bands and seem set to bring a fresh burst of modern blues back into the industry. The energy created on stage by this band is second to none and with catchy songs that maintain their own dignity, they are most definitely one to watch for 2009. They have already been hand picked by the likes of Golden Silvers, Joe Gideon and The Shark, Wave Machines and We Have Band to support them on tour and played various venues across the country such as Concorde 2, Club NME and Proud Galleries amongst others.”

I thought their guitar and bass play were exceptional and although Sam doesn’t have the extensive range expected of American acts, he commanded the stage like few can. I also heard some definite dance influences in many of the song breakdowns especially when they threw in a cover or two. Great band to check out if they make it here.

We called it an early night because we have one last show to play tomorrow before heading back to NYC for CMJ. Day 8 coming soon plus a full recap of the entire trip.