Gomez Rocks Out at the 930 Club

June 22

Recommended Beverage to go with this show:

Redhook ESB,

styled after the bitter beers common to English pubs.

Available at the 930 Club's upstairs bar.

Gomez remains relatively unknown in the States but their core fan base turned out for the sold-out show at the 930 Club. They may have gained some new exposure as the opener for the Dave Matthews Band earlier this year. The unlikely pair came together after Gomez released its most recent album, How We Operate, on Matthews’ label, ATO Records.

Gomez is a five-bloke band from Southport, England, and all of them contribute to the songwriting process. They’re a band with soul and always puts on a good show. At this show, they relied heavily on new material, some of which leans more toward pop, no doubt the influence of their new label.

Earlier Gomez is blues-rock, infused with a hint of country. It’s alternative with a creative twist. The newer stuff loses the bluesy component, though “Hamoa Beach” tinkers with a folk-rock groove. Live, they rocked out on the new songs, which sounded polished aside from a few rough endings when the fade-outs seemed a bit out of sync, which might have been intentional.

Their lively stage presence was complemented by the band’s versatility. Tom Gray moved effortlessly from bass to keyboards while Dajon Everett moved between percussion and keyboards. One of the most unique and refreshing aspects about this band is they have three lead vocalists, all with distinct voices. Ben Ottewell has a smoky, seductive voice with an Eddie Vedder quality except, with Ottewell, one can understand what he’s saying. Gray, Ian Ball, and Ben Ottewell took turns singing lead, and sometimes sang together in harmony. With Gomez, it’s almost like getting three bands in one.

Gomez came on the scene in 1998 with the album Bring it On, the only one to receive any exposure in the States, followed by five more albums, most notably In Our Gun in 2002. Confident in their U.S. fan base, they skipped over their one U.S. radio hit, “Get Myself Arrested.” Instead, they closed the show by jamming out to another song from that debut album, “Whippin’ Piccadilly,” and the crowd jumped and chanted along to the chorus: “We like loving, yeah, and the wine we share.”

NPR recorded and aired this show. You can download it from their website.