Jon Gomm @ Royal Park Cellars
By John Harvey
Playing acoustic guitar before Jon Gomm must be a rather daunting experience but Tim knocks out quite a strong set of songs with confessional and indeed rather poetic lyrics with fresh sounding strummy guitar.
The first song is a catchy number with the line "One more time" in the chorus. The crowd undoubtedly warm to the guy, his tall frame and laidback demeanour remind me of what a twenty-something Evan Dando might have sounded like if he lived in a bedsit in Leeds. Tim seems like a promising talent and I'm sure he's one to watch out for...
Onto Jon Gomm. When Bruce Lee talked of having "No style" he wasn't talking about the yellow tracksuits, he was talking of accomplishing mastery of the most effective parts from each martial art until you have a style that isn't bound to a particular set of rules. A style that is invincible that could decimate any man on the planet, a style that was ultimately entirely his own.
I have to say I think guitar virtuosos are generally really shit to listen to, there are only two exceptions to this and one of them is Jon Gomm. Jon's music works on all three levels from the technical skill on offer along with the accessibility of the tunes to the very down-to-earth deliverance.
Indeed he's the closest musician I have ever heard in achieving Lee's blueprint via music. He is a master musician that you can't define as a particular type or style since he incorporates countless approaches until it becomes nothing you've heard before - which is no mean feat considering he's only using an acoustic guitar.
The opening song is a cover of Bob Marley's "Wait In Vain". It's great just watching this guy he starts off playing for a few seconds armed with his well-beaten guitar he strums away... I look away for a few seconds and all of a sudden there's percussion and a bit of thumping bass and you see it and just don't know what to say!
He pins the crowd to their seat while their mouths open wide gaping. The applause gets more feverish after each song. I know that I'm seeing something really special tonight.
Like most men I can only do one thing at a time so how does this guy do three or four? The melodies are sweet, plenty of choruses and the percussion sounds exotic-from a far away place on the other side of the world.
Jon's original material stands out-its bold and strong I remember especially liking 'Hey Child'. Mid-way through the set he covers the Beatles 'Come Together' and Jon's voice really comes to the fore as he projects it and makes the song his own stretching out the chords.
Jon's reputation rightfully appears to be growing so it can only be a matter of time before he reaches a wider audience.
