Live Review: Ottoboy / The Black Keys

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Ottoboy (NL)

The Black Keys (USA)

11/03/2004
AB, Brussels

Three people, two gigs, one blast

When I strolled into the venue, support act Ottoboy was already kicking out the jams, or, more exactly, spewing out some of the filthiest blues-punk ever made around these parts. I was literally overwhelmed by the sheer sonic force as his droning distorted guitar rhythms gave "primal" a new dimension. Ottoboy apparently calls himself The One Man Trashband, as he uses a bass drum and hi-hat to further complete the savage trance-blues. Like most other similar acts (Bob Log III being the most obvious one), Ottoboy is firmly rooted in the rudimentary blues of good folks like Hound Dog Taylor and T-Model Ford (the dirtiest grandpa around), but adds a layer of undiluted white-ass punk noise. The song-titles spoke for themselves: "Where the Fuck Is Ottoboy?", "Eat, Shit, Drink, Die" (guess what the lyrics were) and "I Used to Be Your Garbage Man" - all you wanted to know about a white-trash trailer park existence. The songs themselves were nothing more than vehicles to roar, spit, howl and utter venomous nonsense (he also invented a song on the spot - "I'm Crazy," as suggested by someone in the audience), but the sheer energy of the playing, the dirtiness of the sound and the 'fuck off, I'm louder than you'-attitude were refreshing. Well, they stunk, but… you know… rock 'n' roll and all that.

The White Stripes, Winnebago Deal, Lightning Bolt, Tenacious D., The Evens, The Everly Brothers, Hall & Oates… Rockin' duos have been around for a while and if the eagerness, productivity and intensity of The Black Keys is any indication, we needn't worry for the future of duo rock 'n' roll for quite a while, because we're stuck with a band carrying the torch of fervour and funk. Similar to other white bands on Fat Possum, like 20 Miles (with the Blues Explosion's Judah Bauer) and The Neckbones, The Black Keys hover between raw, jagged-edged blues and late 60's/early 70's rock 'n' roll (think Hendrix, Free, MC5, etc), but they have a sound that immediately sets them apart. I mean, somehow drummer Patrick Carney - who is also the band's producer - succeeded in giving them a warm, deliciously greasy sound that contains the groove and funk so many bands are sorely missing. The White Stripes may have better constructed songs and a broader appeal, but their calculation also ensures they never displayed the soul this band has. Carney (related to sax man Ralph) effortlessly switches from keeping a light-paced groove to bashing his skins like a maniac, while Auerbach's fuzzed-out guitar antics evoke the best of classic rock and blues, thriving more on gut feel and funk than technicality. And then there's that voice! Sounding like Lester Butler's younger brother, it gives Auerbach some grit that's all too often lacking from today's white blues. The band's 13 song-set was made up equally of songs from this year's acclaimed Rubber Factory and last year's Thickfreakness, with the odd song ("I'll Be Your Man") from their debut The Big Come-Up thrown in. "Hold Me in Your Arms" started off the show at a mid-tempo pace and a blues-riff straight from the Mountain or Free Songbook, after which the band immediately threw in some of their catchiest, most recognizable songs: "Hard Row" is a wonderful charmer that harkens back to the days of Cream, while Rubber Factory's first single, "10 A.M. Automatic" (a highlight on the already excellent album) almost set the place on fire with its descending riff. Even though the band is more than capable of churning out great songs, it's too hard to resist to find similarities: "Stack Shot Billy" was pure Fat Possum blues (blood-raw), "Girl on My Mind" a fantastic tribute to Hendrix' fuzzed-out rock and "Set You Free" an update of the Blues Explosion's red-hot mix of blooze and rock. All the while, Carney kept on hitting the skins with determination, while Auerbach bended forwards and backwards, squeezing each little drop of soul out of his six-stringed charmer. The energy never let up during their hour long-show, not even when they covered R.P. Williams' "Grown So Ugly," also tackled by Captain Beefheart a few decades ago, and "Act Nice and Gentle" by Ray Davies (so it can't be coincidence that the DJ played both bands during the intermission). Throughout the show, the audience (I honestly never expected that many youngsters and hipsters to check out a blues band, for Chrissakes) worshipped the duo like Gods and made 'em do two encores, which were dominated by the blues of "Everywhere I Go" and a successful cover (fortunately not a note-for-note copy) of the Stooges' "No Fun." The Black Keys aren't really an innovative band, but, as the sticker on their latest CD says (for once, it's not just some promotional blabla), they're a duo that's concerned not about going "back to basics, but forward." That they managed to keep the set that entertaining from start to finish goes to show how talented they are as songwriters and performers. Add to that the energy and a no-nonsense attitude that's totally devoid of pretences, and you got yourself one of the coolest bands that are currently around.