Sub nine is a youth friendly venue which has a tendency to make gigs feel like fourth form dances. Don’t ask me why. Although I don’t think fourth formers would’ve reacted too kindly to the absence of a Crazy Frog playing DJ in place of the great ‘House of Shem’
The all class roots band from Wanganui took us back to basics with some classic roots beats that reminded me of a relaxing, sunny afternoon fishing in my fathers’ canoe (although this is an experience I have never had).
Standing in the VIP area side of stage gave me the best view in the house, so I could see the flow of energy the bassist had. I never new a big man like him could move in such a groovy way, which was cool because it definitely rubbed off on the other members of the band in a positive way.
House of Shem played some really catchy songs and it was awesome when what seemed to be the resident rapper joined them on stage for a few songs and really jammed out some good tunes. There is only one thing I have a problem with in roots music, and that is the way in which a lot of the guitarists seem to return to a generic, high pitched chord progression. It can sometimes be effective in creating a certain tempo and mood in a song, but it seems in this case it has not been as effective.
The highlight of the performance for me was the young keyboardist side of stage. His natural talent and musicianship could easily be overlooked, but I’ve chosen to highlight it in this case because I believe he has the most potential out of his fellow band members. His control of the keys accompanied the rhythm of each song perfectly and he has a definite natural vocal ability which, if nurtured in the right way, could become great.
I would attend another House of Shem gig in the future, in the hope that they really hone in on each of their positive attributes and push them to their limits. I am confident that House of Shem will aspire to great things, and I look forward to the success and distribution of their music.
Craig Johnson
