Those that know me will know I was raised on a good bit of blues and jazz, so every now I get excited about just such a new band or record, which is exactly what we’ve got here with The Joker & The Thief (Facebook/Twitter) and their debut Secret Ballroom EP.
Dan Grabiner has that earthy, smokey voice that gives the folkish blues its depth, but with only three of them they all need to show off a little multi-instrumentalist talent when live – Justin Gartry managing to play guitar whilst kick drumming is an impressive feat, and Josh Elliott plays everything from sax to ukulele.
The sound ranges from the wistful ballad-esque Worm In The Soul, which brings the vocals to the fore, to that bluesy stomping crescendo that makes me love live blues so much as towards the end of My Name. Some of it is just catchy as all hell, with the toe tapping opening track I Do Too that you’ll do well to catch fighting through the rain around the Strummerville Campfire at this year’s Glastonbury. The record at times growls and swaggers, at times brings you nostalgic innocence, but as a debut it’s pretty impressive.
The Joker & The Thief – Secret Ballroom EP is due for release on 25th July
They’ve also got a track on the Strummerville – Songs For The Summer 2011 release along with another favourite of the blog Bastille.
The Joker & The Thief – I Do Too
The Joker & The Thief – My Name
The Joker & The Thief – Worm In The Soul