01 February 2020 (gig)
03 February 2020
One look at Jack Hutchinson immediately screams “ROCKER!” – the chest long hair, beard, hat, heavy boots and cut-off sleeves, classic. And there is a lot of the rocker in Jack but there is also a hell of of a lot more to his music than just heavy Blues/rock and he played some brilliant music to a packed out Echo Hotel on Saturday night.
This was the opening show of his ‘Who Feeds The Wolf’ tour and it comes after a remarkable year touring Brazil, Czech Republic, Spain and a stack of festivals including a great appearance at Planet Rockstock.
But he also got engaged, had issues with his father’s health, was included in Earache’s ‘New Wave of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ state of rock compilation and split from RHR in order to follow his solo projects.
And he brought all of that, and more to the stage on Saturday. Along with bassist Lazarus (Laz) Michaelides and Felipe Amorim on drums.
The classic 3 piece is still my favourite lineup for a rock band but it only works if the three parts are good enough to do their part and with Jack on vocals and guitar and thedrive and power flying out of the engine room this was a bravura performance. The played mainly material from ‘Who Feeds The Wolf’ as well as a few tracks from ‘Paint No Fiction’, his previous album, and in the live it was clear that his influences ranging from the Beatles, Indie bands, Black Sabbath merged with his own sensibilities and the pace and flow of the show was just relentless. He switched from his ‘V’ to a battered Gibson for an stunning version of Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’, slowed it down for a truly heartfelt ‘I Will Follow You’, written for his father, and blasted us away with a massive version of ‘Kiss Your Ass Goodbye’. One of the real highlights was ‘Justified’ which, shorn of any production, was just a massive punch in the guts of exultant rock riffery.
Jack J. Hutchinson Band are a brilliant example of modern rock in the classic manner. The tour will be going on through February , March & April – if they are in your reach don’t miss them.
