Californian four-piece Dawes are one of our favourite new bands here at One on One Music. We caught them live supporting Mumford and Sons at Torquay’s intimate Princess Theatre and we were SERIOUSLY impressed.
Opening with If I Wanted Someone from the album Nothing is Wrong Dawes instantly connected with the capacity crowd. It’s punchy, powerful and in your face and we adore it. Stadium rocker Time Spent In Los Angeles followed, and it sounds like Kings of Leon at their most poptastic. A real hands-in-the-air chorus and an ACTUAL GUITAR SOLO (how rare are those nowadays?!) blended perfectly with frontman Taylor Goldsmith’s rocky vocals to form a real pop-rock belter of a song.
Country-rocker When My Time Comes is absolutely brilliant and seems to sum up the sound of Dawes in general – a cheerily catchy melody, some light keyboards and some sparse and simple guitars. It sounds amazing live and their harmonies on the chorus absolutely melt into eachother. The band all seem to be having a great time and they all look the part (we’re seriously thinking of forming a fan club for the drummer’s afro) – they just look happy to be here and it’s this enthusiasm that makes them so likeable.
A Little Bit of Everything is a trademark Dawes ballad. Personal songs rarely seem so emotional and raw in front of a big crowd but somehow it just works – it’s oddly intrusive but mesmerising to watch. A Little Bit of Everything is definitely a hit single in the making. Rock ‘n’ roller Window Seat is a departure from their usual sound. It’s clearly been influenced by the music of the 1960’s and we think it’s great. The pounding Peace In The Valley is a rhythmic belter. Starting off with a lone drum beat before being blessed by the presence of the full band, it’s a melodic and keyboard-laden beauty that serves as a definite highlight of Dawes’ live shows. It’s got a solo from literally every instrument in Dawes’ repertoire and we absolutely love it.
And just like that it’s all over. A final strike on the guitar, a crash on the cymbals and a wave to the crowd (with a promise to return ASAP) and Dawes have left the stage. They came, they rocked out and they won over a crowd of die-hard folk fans – if that’s not a sign of a great band we’re not sure what is. We think they’re gonna be huge.
