When you get in the habit of going to several live shows in a month’s time, you strive for diversified vocabulary to describe similar situations. Sometimes these words are jargon-laden; other times they brazenly indicate the current climate in pop-culture (i.e, chillwave). And yet some bands are so surprising that they conjure up a more sacred vernacular, in this case, that of Dadisms. Syd Arthur has resurrected them from the depths of my memory. When I saw the band perform last Tuesday at the Rockwood Music Hall, words like, tight, jam, groove, and Steely Dan formed in my mind almost instantly.
Syd Arthur, so named as a hybrid reference to Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett and The Kinks’ 1969 Album Arthur, hail from Canterbury, which has a heavily rooted grasp on 60s and 70s folk. The band is composed of four insanely talented gentlemen, who look like the paisley-bathed posse of Jimi Hendrix. They are Liam Magill on lead vocals and guitar, Fred Rother on drums, Joel Magill on bass, and Raven Bush on violin and keyboards. Bush seemed to be at the musical core of the band’s performance, switching instruments throughout the show and even producing live. However his musical abilities are no surprise, considering his bloodline: his aunt is none other than Kate Bush.
Though pitched as a psych rock group, Syd Arthur delves far deeper into the complex realms of prog rock and contemporary jazz. Then again they don’t fall directly in the lap of either genre, seeing as progressive rock could easily be classified as amped up jazz musicians all soloing at once, and there wasn’t that magnitude of ego in their performance. In fact, these gentlemen were refreshingly humble despite their musical talents. Their dexterity on stage is enviable, causing them to sound far crisper and more alive than on their recordings. They played so tight. Tighter than any band I’ve seen in a long time. Where some bands may flaunt their focus, these were just four men concentrating intently on their performance…jamming if you will.
They were certainly drawing references from Genesis, Jethro Tull, and a band I haven’t heard musically referenced in a long time: Steely Dan. Syd Arthur’s keyboard hooks and wandering bass lines immediately call to mind the musical stylings of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Their tasteful and understated drum beats coincided with this reference as well.
Liam Magill’s stage presence was more fixated than extravagant despite his rakish prince-charming appearance, but the quality of his voice negates the need for such extravagances. His register is on the higher side, and is as crisp as it is powerful. I couldn’t quite put my finger on who he sounded like-maybe a more boisterous Marc Bolan with less vibrato.
Syd Arthur may be dangling from the beads of a bygone era, in fact, it might even be a beaded curtain, but that doesn’t diminish their talent as a group. After all, it’s always comforting to see a true band. One with beautiful, well-played instruments like the Magills’ tobacco hued Fender Jazz Bass and Stratocaster. Even more, these types of groups are best in a proper setting, and Rockwood Music Hall certainly served Syd Arthur. Set up more as a listening room than a rowdy venue, the sound was sharp and clear. All in all, I have not one bad thing to say about this performance. If you get a chance, check these boys out in the flesh. If not, listen to them groove below:
