Daddy Long Legs – The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
Daddy Long Legs play R’n’B. Not the slinky, glitzy R’n’B of Rihanna or Usher. Daddy Long Legs play the dirty, raw R’n’B of Robert Gordon or Dr Feelgood. If you have come to The Voodoo Rooms tonight expecting the former, you may be in for a disappointment. If you’ve come for the latter, you are definitely in for a treat.
Hailing from New York, Daddy Long Legs are touring their new album, Street Sermons. Brian Hurd (vocals, harmonica, guitar), Murat Aktürk (guitar) and Oakley Munson (drums, hair) are now joined by David Klein on piano. Not having seen the band before, I was concerned to see that there was no bass guitar on stage, surely a key element of any hard-rocking band. My concerns were blown away in the first moments of their opener, Long John; these guys blow up a rock’n’roll maelstrom that has no need of any underpinning.
The pace never lets up from that torrid first number. Hurd is a natural frontman, riling up the crowd like a young Jerry Lee Lewis. Aktürk pokes, jabs and slashes at his guitar with Townsend windmill whirls. Klein steps back occasionally to comb his sweat-soaked quiff out of his eyes. At one point he claps his hands together and is momentarily shrouded in a halo of perspiration. Meanwhile, Styles looks cool (in a sweaty kind of way) in a white linen suit, hacking out a backbeat while simultaneously shaking a pair of maracas.
The band power through their setlist, often sounding like a young, hungry Rolling Stones at their rock’n’roll finest. Almost before we know it it’s “Thank you and goodnight, Edinburgh”. Fortunately, any Voodoo Rooms regulars know that if the band exit from stage right they are actually hiding in the toilet and have no option but to come back for an encore.
Daddy Long Legs reappear for three more numbers. Hurd waves his arms to part the audience like Moses parting the Red Sea and dives down from the stage for some up-close-and-personal interaction. If you love a bit of down-and-dirty rhythm and blues, don’t pass up the chance to see Daddy Long Legs. Who knows, Rihanna fans might like them too.
John Scott
