(Review by Mark Kelly)
MANDRAKE HANDSHAKE + BABY GEM + RUBY DOOMSDAY – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 18.9.24
It’s been six months since I last saw Mandrake Handshake, when they packed out London’s 100 Club in March. I thought it was about time that I checked up on them, to see where they’re at. So I headed on down to The Hope & Ruin, for one of their ‘Hidden Herd’ presents nights, but there does seem to have been quite a major change in the band. Read on, and you’ll find out what it is.
First of all though, we are going to be entertained by the fantastically named Ruby Doomsday, who are playing their first gig in Brighton tonight. The four piece from London consist of Courtney on keyboards and vocals, guitarist Joey Julliard who also joins Courtney on lead vocals, plus bassist Zach Urch and Nicky Edgings on drums. Courtney and the Joey have wonderfully pure sounding voices. They’re not very good at telling us the names of their songs though, and there are no setlists onstage, although I do get these afterwards (see below). This is rather a shame as each of the songs that they play tonight sounds at least like a minor classic. Their set certainly includes no filler.
Their first song, ‘Dirt’ is in ¾ and features whistling! You’ve gotta love a bit of whistling. This is followed by a song with an incredibly funky bassline. It sounds like an indie-funk crossover with a touch of Santana in the guitar solo. The next song is in 6/8 and Courtney’s mini keyboard sounds oddly like a glockenspiel. Next up is a cover of Roy Orbison’s ‘In Dreams’, which they very much make their own. ‘Garden Of Eden’ is about giving into temptation. It starts off slowly with Courtney and the guitarist sharing lead vocals. For part of the song the drummer Nicky plays syndrums. Then it speeds up a bit and sounds really quite snappy. By the end of the song it becomes quick and choppy. As a composition it’s put together really well. The final song is called ‘Blood And Thunder’, which has something of the flavour of The Lightning Seeds.
Ruby Doomsday are clearly very influenced by 1960s dream-pop, but not sufficiently to lose their own musical identity. However, it must be said that they borrow from some of the best sources! Ruby Doomsday will be back at The Hope & Ruin on Thursday 24th October as support to Nature TV. Purchase your tickets HERE.
Ruby Doomsday:
Joey Julliard – guitar & vocals
Courtney McMahon – keys & vocals
Zach Urch – bass
Nicky Edgings – drums
Ruby Doomsday setlist:
‘Dirt’
‘Beast On The Moors’
‘The Day I Was Voted Off’
‘In Dreams’ (Roy Orbison cover)
‘Garden Of Eden’
‘Blood And Thunder’
www.instagram.com/rubydoomsdayx
I first saw Baby Gem at Brighton’s Folklore Rooms as part of the ‘Homegrown Festival’ in April this year (Reviews HERE). They were good then, but in the intervening five months they seem to have gained a huge amount of musical maturity and confidence. If they’re not headlining their own gigs now then they really should be!
Bassist James Virtue looks disturbingly like a young Mike Rutherford, but we won’t hold that against him. Besides, Baby Gem’s music is far more interesting than that of Mike and the Mechanics!!! The music in general has a late 1960s / early 1970s feel about it, which is no bad thing. Vinegar Joe springs to mind. The band have a highly developed sense of dynamics, which I don’t recall noticing last time I saw them. Drummer Max Valencia is powerful, precise and all over the kit without being too ‘busy’. Guitarist Tom Inkpen is astonishingly good too. During ‘Blaze’, vocalist Fletcher Pearce’s guitar is put through a flanger, which is a nice effect. ‘To The Wolves’ is quite ethereal. Tula Gartmayer’s vocals in particular are awesome. The song starts quietly like an acoustic Led Zeppelin song, and as it gets louder it is still quite Zeppelinesque. If that’s the feel that they’re aiming for, they pull it off really well. Baby Gem have a really wide sonic vocabulary, and their material is varied without losing a sense of their identity. My only complaint is that they really should get out and play more!
Baby Gem:
Fletcher Pearce – vocals and guitar
Tula Gartmayer – vocals
Max Valencia – drums
Tom Inkpen – guitar
James Virtue – bass
Baby Gem setlist:
“Unknown”
‘Blaze’
‘To The Wolves’
‘Blood For Blood’
‘Tiptoe’
‘You’re In My Veins’
When Mandrake Handshake take the stage it immediately becomes clear that one of their musicians is missing. Flautist and saxophonist David Howard-Baker is nowhere to be seen! Has he left the band? That I don’t know as I didn’t have time to stay and chat to the band afterwards. My main concern is that the jazz influence in the band’s music may disappear. I’m pleased to tell you that this hasn’t been the case. Jazz is not just a genre of music, it’s also a state of mind, and Mandrake Handshake collectively have a jazz state of mind in spades! A possible result of David’s apparent departure is that percussionist Elvis Thirwell now also plays synth as well as bashing things in time whilst dancing.
Despite any line-up changes the band are on terrific form. Row Janjuah’s lead guitar playing in particular is outstanding. Some of his solos seem to be raga influenced. Their gigs are more like a trip than a formal concert. Mandrake Handshake’s music invites you to turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream on the river of their sound. They really are one of the great live bands. It’s just that most of the world’s population hasn’t cottoned on to it yet. Their music is still a gumbo made up of their various influences, without any of them dominating.
They don’t appear to be using a setlist as such, although thankfully all of the musicians seem to know where the music is going. Some of the pieces (it somehow seems insufficient to describe them as ‘songs’) I recognise, but I only know the title of one: ‘Monolith’. Their latest single, ‘Charlie’s Comet’, also features as well. One of their songs has an Eastern / Indian feel. It sounds as if there’s an open tuning in use somewhere, but nobody has retuned or changed instruments. There’s an ace prog-sounding synth solo as well, courtesy of keyboardist Shan Sriharan.
The band play for forty minutes, which isn’t long enough really. However, there’s an old show business maxim: “leave the audience wanting more”, and we certainly want more!!! In December the band tour the UK supporting Del Amitri. I must confess that this is a rather unexpected pairing. I fear that Mandrake Handshake my cause some Del Amitri fans’ brains to implode.
Mandrake Handshake:
Row Janjuah – guitar
Trinity Oksana – vocals
Liv Duval – vocals
Elvis Thirwell – tambourine, percussion and synthesiser
Charlie Arrowsmith – guitar
Danny Jeffries – bass
Shan Sriharan – keyboards and synthesiser
Joe Bourdier – drums
