Jon Gomm @ Mixing Tin
By Drew Swainston
How do you go about describing a man who has had so many superlatives thrown his way already. With plaudits expressed such as amazing, utterly brilliant and a genius talent countless times already then you can already grasp what talent we are dealing with. Ladies and gentleman the man in question is Jon Gomm. As only a recent Leeds resident I had not heard the rumours about Jon Gomm that have been reverberating around the city. My first glimpse of this man was through entering a large tent in a drunken haze at Unity Day festival in Hyde Park in the summer of 2004. And I was immediately blown away by what I saw. So with a spring in my step I proceed to the Mixing Tin on a cold Sunday night for my second instalment of the Jon Gomm experience.
Tonight is the latest in a series of 'Collaborators' gigs, with a novel twist of the finale set being a collaboration of the other acts playing improvised and unrehearsed. This set up attracts a highly eclectic audience all eager to hear some beautiful and stimulating music.
The first of the two acts tonight is Gallo. Normally Gallo are a funk-rock combo playing catchy pop, but tonight is a bit different. Performing here is vocalistsaxophonist Natasha Koczy and guitarist Bonnie Curtis from the band. They regularly play acoustic gigs and thank goodness they do, for the songs are sweetly melodic and beautiful, and show off perfectly their pristine skill and craft. The guitar is hypnotizing and the voice is soulful, which transcends the silence of the Mixing Tin. The crowd holds their breath and absorbs the bewitching songs being displayed. The introduction of the saxophone works in two ways, it both uplifts but can also add deeply sorrowing mood and tone. It works delightfully and mesmerises the audience. The last song of Gallo's set is aimed as a reply to bad reviews they have received and how much it hurts them. After seeing Gallo tonight I cant believe why anyone would give them a scathing review. This is musicianship, emotion and beauty at its finest.
When Jon Gomm proceeds onto the stage the atmosphere changes completely and the whole crowd concentrate intensely on the stage. Everybody knows what he can do and almost immediately doesn't fail to live up to the expectation, with some intricate and extraordinary guitar playing. With one guitar making so many sounds it's a sparkling example of creativity and originality not seen regularly in the acoustic circles, and even rarer in modern day music as a whole. Jon Gomm possesses a beautiful acoustic heart encapsulated in what seems a 'grungy' body, epitomised by his voice which soars to full force like a grizzly bear. And when all these elements combine with his amazing song-writing talent and unique playing style then you are witnessing something incredible.
As well as playing a lot of material off his debut album 'Hypertension', Jon treats the audience to some new material which equals if not surpasses the more familiar songs.
There is no doubt he will continue to amaze crowds with this new material, crowds that will undoubtedly grow and grow in numbers on his continued rise to prominence. How anybody can not be amazed by the talent and performance on the stage tonight defies me. The sight and sound of Jon Gomm hitting harmonies before tuning them down to create an incredible sound is stunning, and leaves the listener a gasp. Signing off with his genius interpretation of Radiohead's 'High and Dry' the crowd is left cheering for more. Whatever you have heard about this man is true, an absolute amazing talent, a genius songwriter and a hell of a performer, you really do have to see one of his shows to believe it, and even still then you may not truly believe your eyes. I am already rubbing my hands in anticipation for the next Jon Gomm gig I can get to, and till then I will join the hordes praising his name.
So after these two magnificent sets then what happens in the final act when they both collaborate. If I fully explain then we will be here all day so take my one and final word on summing up the entire night for guidance; breathtaking.
