01 October 2010 (gig)
02 October 2010
Missing a band three times tends to heighten the sense of anticipation before you finally see them live and we all know that the anticipation is often better than the reality. Thankfully, in the case of Mama Rosin this isn’t the case and they stunned a packed Blues Kitchen last night with a belting set of Cajun and Zydeco styled music – fourth time lucky and worth the wait!
The stage at the Blues Kitchen is tiny, especially since there was another band playing after midnight and their kit was also on the stage, and the three Swiss filled all the space available but they still had room to swing an accordion and guitar and I found myself wondering how such a simple arrangement, Accordion, guitar & drums, could create such a furious blast of rhythms and beats but the crowd wasn’t wondering and from the second or third number there was a constant flow of ladies and their guys coming down to the front to dance.
They played a combination of Zydeco - a storming version of 'Les Pistolets' - , Blues, folk and even something that sounded suspiciously like a French ballade and the best intentioned listener could not have reckoned them as expert players but their enthusiasm and the sheer brio of their performance overcame all else and they ended up belting out over an hour of wonderful bar-room music. The version of 'Dead Love Rag' seemed to cross all boundaries and a lovely 'Sitting On Top Of The World' were the few English language moments but no-one seemed to mind, the dancing never stopped.
The crowd at the Blues Kitchen has been known to completely ignore anyone that they don’t reckon and on some nights the chatter and constant buzz of the Camden Cuties drowns out even the most established artists but Mama Rosin managed to win them over very quickly and the end result was great.
Camden Town was still drizzling and cold as I left but somehow my spirit was still warmed by the infectious rhythms and sheer joy of the performance – I’ll be back to see them again.
