Review of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis at The Button Factory on May 5th 2011
Review by Kevin Donnellan
Photos by Ian Keegan
It runs through the minds of at least another two people in the crowd. And that’s just who is within earshot of me in a busy Button Factory. “The Brits get Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, we get Crystal Swing.” It’s perhaps unfair to mention C*****l S***g in the same sentence as the Durham family (even in a good way) because these guys are the real deal. Talented, hard-working, relevant, not capable of making you want to rip your own eyes out.
The eponymous trio come out on stage at around half nine with Mama and Papa in town. Dad plays guitar and Mam plays double-bass. But the three siblings never stay in the one place for long, showcasing the range of talent they have as they swap from one instrument to the next.
The youngest member Kitty does the most switching on stage and proves adept at them all. Her voice suits the sweeter lyrics and her harmonica playing makes you forget you don’t really like the harmonica. Daisy seems to have the greatest affinity for the drums, all hunched and tense as she pounds away. But she is more than capable of adding more of a growl when needed for some of the vocals. Oh, and she beatboxes. Brilliantly.
Lewis’s primary talent is guitar, he handling of the instrument is masterful. The tunes here are great, all roughly in the rockabilly vein, you wonder what he will achieve in the future if he steps outside the comfort zone. The same could probably be said for all three.
After sticking mainly to their self-titled debut album in the opening half the band introduce songs from their upcoming follow-up ‘Smoking in Heaven.’ This lead to Eddie “Tan Tan” Thornton, a legendary trumpeter (thank you wikipedia) coming on stage. Wearing a shirt only an elderly Jamaican man can pull off he adds some oomph to an already impressive set.
At times the set drops to pub-blues-band level but maybe that’s just in comparison to the highlights. When they soar you wish you could get everyone in your phone book down to Temple Bar as soon as possible to share the occasion. There is a lot more to come from these guys, do yourself a favour and catch them next time they hit these shores.