Gomez at the Orpheum Theatre, March 12 2010
Gomez returns to Vancouver in support of new album
- by Erin Hanson
Whatever’s on Your Mind is Gomez‘ seventh full-length album, released this June. It’s been heralded as a return to the British quintet’s whimsical, folk-blues-rock roots: the un-classifiable sound that has endeared Gomez to so many since their Mercury Music Prize-winning debut Bring it On in 1998. Gomez decided to produce WOYM themselves, their first self-produced album since 2002′s In Our Gun. This can only be a good thing, as their first three albums (Bring it On, Liquid Skin, and In Our Gun) are self-produced and widely considered their best.
Recently having toured Australia, and the Eastern U.S., Gomez are now working their way down the West Coast, with dates in Victoria at the Rifflandia Festival on Sept 25; Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom on Sept 26; and at Seattle’s Showbox at the Market on Sept 27, before continuing on to Oregon and California.
Consistently including Vancouver as a must-stop on their tours, Gomez has developed a loyal local following, and deservedly so: the band’s superior musicianship and multi-instrumentalism is impressive enough, but this is a band who knows how to genuinely have a good time onstage. Guitarists/vocalists Tom Gray, Ian Ball, and Ben Ottewell take turns playing front-man, swapping instruments and keeping the audience captivated with their individual brands of showmanship (including Ottewell’s inimitable bluesy growl).
Drummer Olly Peacock and bassist/percussionist Paul Blackburn are also mesmerizing as they propel the band through their many identities: from the languid, bluesy grooves characteristic of Bring it On (listen to “Get Miles”) to the poppy, catchy dance-alongs (“Catch Me Up” comes to mind) and feel-good anthems (“Get Myself Arrested”). Ignore the fact that the Gomez songs that receive radio play in North America tend to be the most watered-down and forgettable of their extensive repertoire.
Watch – Gomez, “Around The World” (video):
Gomez tour dates:
Sept 22 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
Sept 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
Sept 25 – Victoria, BC – Rifflandia Music Festival
Sept 26 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
Sept 27 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
Sept 28 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Sept 30 – Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery
Oct 1 – San Diego, CA – Anthology and Kpri’s streetbeat
Oct 2 – San Francisco, CA – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
Oct 4 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues Anheim
Oct 5 – West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues Los Angeles
