Daniel Romano's Outfit aren't at all what I expected. From the name, I thought they were going to be po-faced prog rock but when they come out in denim with matching band patches (one of them looks like he could be in the Bay City Rollers), I thought they would be '70s rock revivalists. I'm therefore surprised by the driving Hellacopters style rock and roll of the opening number. The dual vocals are great. The female vocals add a country feel. There are lots of blues rock touches too, particularly when they play slower, which often bring The Black Crowes to mind. The drummer is great, and he gets props for the Battalion Of Saints shirt that he is wearing too. One excellent track where the bassist takes lead vocals reminds me of Reigning Sound. The way that they transition from one style to another is both skilful and exciting. Impressive.
Blues Pills open with 'Birthday', and the dynamic blues rock is elevated into another league by Elin Larsson's stunning voice. She looks and acts like an utter star and the crowd, especially the girls, love her. 'Bad Choices' is good time party rock, whilst 'Proud Woman' has a confident swagger. The moving ballad 'Top Of The Sky' is spectacular and Elin sounds absolutely incredible. Guitarist Zack Anderson plays a lovely solo on 'Like A Drug'. The band are extremely tight and proficient. Yes, all eyes are on Elin but none of this would work without them. It's rather symbiotic. A powerful and dynamic 'High Class Woman' is a real crowd pleaser and mines a similar vein to fellow Swedes, Graveyard. They close the regular set with the emotional slow blues of 'Little Sun'. The bass tone is pretty heavy for encore 'I Dont Wanna Get Back On That Horse Again' (much heavier than the studio version) and Elin's voice sounds unbelievable. The freak out at the end of 'Bye Bye Birdy' is great whilst 'Devil Man' sees Elin channelling her inner Janis Joplin to stunning effect. I realise I've used superlatives a number of times to describe Elin but it's hard to leave the show and not be blown away by how good she is.
Blues Pills ****
Daniel Romano's Outfit ****
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