The Black Keys, Shepherds Bush - 28.02.07

Only once in a blue moon do I find a new current band whose every new album contains songs that I like; not like, love. The Black Keys are definitely one of those. I first heard their music back in my Uni days, maybe as long as 3 years ago. I heard the second album Thickfreakness and was blown away by the dirty riffs of singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach over the primal urgency of Patrick Carney's drumbeats. I caught them live at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth, and finally got around to seeing them again in Shepherds Bush last Wednesday with my cousin (pictured below).

They opened with the opening track of their latest album, Magic Potion, and from them on it was just over on hour of hard-hitting blues-rock. The Black Keys generate a surprising fullness of sound for only two members - and Dan, the singer, is surprisingly charismatic, and was often speaking to the crowd between songs over a sheet of feedback from his guitar. They played one of my favourite tracks - 'Have Love Will Travel' - but sadly didn't perform their romping cover of the Beatles' 'She Said, She Said'.

My only minor gripe was the way Auerbach sung the lyrics a fraction more protracted than he does on the recorded versions - I'm guessing this was an attempt to put on a show that wasn't identical to listening to the albums on volume 11, but it made it difficult to scream along with a moronic grin on your face, as you thrashed your foot against the floor!

God bless rock'n'roll.

(Below is a picture of my cousin Daniel and I in the midst of the gig, beneath that is a video of The Black Keys' latest single, Your Touch)