Some would say that your first gig in London – and in the UK – could be fairly daunting, especially when you have a huge crowd of Dr. Dog supporters eagerly awaiting their arrival. But no, not for the Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer. These guys took to the challenge like a duck to water and I think the entire crowd would agree that they were extremely pleased to have stumbled upon the blues rock duo.
The two men took to the stage with a rather unique set up in place; a drum kick in front of Matthew Rogers aka ‘The Axe’, with guitars set up beside him and a standing microphone. Shawn Hall aka ‘The Harpoonist’ was also accompanied by a microphone and a rather large selection of harmonicas. I think its safe to say that the whole crowd had no idea quite what to expect until they kicked off their set with ‘A Real Fine Noise’ from their latest album ‘A Real Fine Mess’ and it all began to make sense…ish.
There is no denying these guys have got a bucket load of talent. As they sweat their way through the set list I imagine anyone who’s just walked in would find it hard to believe that this huge sound was only coming from two people. Each track feels fresh and exciting with that classic The Black Keys blues rock style we all know and love. Even when Shawn’s mic breaks, he takes it “back to the old school” and carries on with no worries whatsoever… maybe its a Canadian thing?
Stand out tracks for me have got to be their latest single ‘They Don’t Make ‘em Like They Used To’, which we recently featured, and closing track ‘Get Out’. Both were full of such energy and power you couldn’t help but bob along to the thumping bass drum and Shawn’s growling harmonica.
These guys are definitely and quite literally ones to watch.
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