Jon Gomm @ Baby Jupiter
By Jim Poole
On the second and fourth Thursday of every month, Leeds offers us a new acoustic night: "Stripped" at Baby Jupiter. It's in keeping with the Mixing Tin and Dr Wu's.
For the unaffiliated of the city, me included, Baby Jupiter is on York place and down some steps. Just look for the two glowing balls outside.
Baby Jupiter, unlike Jupiter, is small. Should it ever happen that everyone in there decides to nip to the bar at the same time, they would run the risk of actually getting jammed into an immovable human mass, but I prefer to say it's intimate.
Stripped is an inoffensive collaboration of singer/songwriters and unplugged bands (although plugs are provided in extenuating circumstances). It breaks down like this; four bands play three tracks then the CD player takes the strain for a while. The bands/solo artists come back on for another three tracks but not necessarily in the same order. Regimented? Not really. Sometimes singer/songwriters and electric outfits doing acoustic cameos can belch into blandness. By doing short sets Stripped keeps you at your perch, anyone who paid a visit to the Kashmir Klub will agree.
In the name of brevity I will simplify this:
Tim Canfer gets proceedings under way with a couple of baritone ballads, as always his relationship with the guitar is harmonic. His third track 'A suitable song' shows his development as a solo artist, where he rearranges his attitude and speeds up the tempo from solid songwriter to man on a mission. Seldom has anyone produced so much sweet venom on stage; the man must have something on his mind. We're treated to a track he wrote when he was 18yrs and the charmingly naive lyrics still have symbolism. The tune simple: it reflects his consistency and cornerstone no-nonsense approach.
Samsa front man Oli Deakin is on his feet, guitar in hand. His first track doesn't punch any holes in me and likewise track two, 'Sulphur', lacks a bit of volcanic charge. He's normally with his band and looked like he was missing them, on stage all alone. Track three he started to relax with tantalizing twangs to pull the crowd back from polite attention, to attention! He re-enters the fold, voice rasping like Kelly Jones' (Stereophonics). Soon I am confused, as anyone could be if they were complacent about his style. The lyrics don't seem fit the voice and the voice doesn't blend with the guitar, but it's great, he has a knack of playing a dual sound, unique and ultimately blended to perfection. He becomes more skilled as his set moves on. Shame to see him finish.
Stephen Lomas from 'My Perfect Mistake' sits patiently in front of the stage chewing a pick and taking note of his more experienced counter-parts. His songs don't grab you by the balls/tits and for the most part the lyrics in his first set come over like Kirt Cobains diary entries in 94. Stoic to the end though, he decides to sing over the crowd. He starts with a winy lament about everything going to shit, straight from the singer/songwriter mould. Second is a Marilyn Manson cover, but it has little impact. Not until his third track does he find his composure/attitude/presents/voice/swagger. It seems that he is much better doing his own stuff with conviction then covers with none.
Jon Gomm: if you're tied to the Leeds scene you would have heard his name banded around. I think everyone's heard it somewhere because when he takes the stage everyone puts their drink's down and shuts up. I was told he was not the usual songsmith. He starts with a bluesy instrumental to get the crowd settled in. You can see he is milking the guitar for every sound he can. Next is a respectful reinvention of 'Wait in Vein', followed by 'Clockwork', one of his own, which had plenty of bass - but there was no bass player to be seen. How does he do it? As a solo artist, you get your moneys worth with Jon Gomm. He puts a new angle on the one-man band and for that reason he probably gets pestered at parties. Jon Jon, play a song, go on. Once you have settled into his style and you expect his next move, you begin to just let it swath around you. It was late but I am sure at one point he tapped the beat, detuned his guitar and scraped his bottom E, all at the same time. That said, Jon seems more at ease playing covers, perhaps his ability to play outshines his song writing abilities, and ultimately it is song writing that has longevity. His cover of 'High and Dry' left the crowd slouched and wide-eyed; he'd done his job. Ben Harper and Thom Yorke co-conspired to produce this sound. Bravo to all three of them.
