The Avett Brothers - Shepherds Bush Empire, London - 22nd June 2011 (Live Review/Interview)
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Written by Chris Norman
Banjos and double bass, do not a great folk band make, and I was sceptical at some of the labels that had been festooned on the boys from South Carolina (Bluegrass? Country? Punk?!).
But the great spring of American folk is flowing freely through The Avett Brothers and their growth has been as steady as the flow from that historic spring.
“We’ve been knowing each other since we were little and we’ve been reacting to each other for so long, that chemistry has to happen on stage whether we know it or not.” Scott Avett, the liveliest of the two brothers, acknowledges.
“We’re really lucky for that and we’re really lucky that we didn’t get any success early on because if we had we would been affected by that and would have to make music under a certain umbrella.”
The road has been long but fairly straight for The Avett Brothers. But still the usual accusations of selling out abound as the band sign with a big buck record label and fill The Shepherds Bush Empire on a wet Wednesday in June.
Scott defies this with a controlled confidence: “People think there is prize of fame and they can jet stream to that, but there is a point where you lose your personality.”
“Back home we do play some really big places, but we work really hard to keep it as a healthy slow growth.” Seth claims. “We added drums full time, we added things to these big stages where you’ve got to play to 8,000 people.”
But the band seems to be just as powerful without the drums. Just as Bob Dylan, who they performed with at the Grammys this year, captivated the Albert Hall with just a guitar and harmonica, the brothers are magnetic when they perform side by side without the rest of the band.
At times the drums take away from the jauntiness and charm of the sound, but drummer Jacob Edwards adds a real energy to tracks like the pounding but melancholic 'And it Spreads'. But on 'Kick Drum Heart' the insistent snare forces the sound into a fun but perhaps commonplace sound, perhaps akin to Indie-pop with banjos.
But the band see the addition of the drumming as a natural consequence of the big stage.
Scott explains: “The reason we only played banjo and guitar and stand-up bass in the beginning was because we played in places when we were on the go, like we pulled up in a truck, we got out, we did it, we loaded it up and pulled out.”
When the band stands side by side as a four piece, Seth and Scott on guitar and banjo, Bob Crawford on bass, and Joe Kwon on cello, the music flows and mingles as naturally as their manner. Crawford anchors the troop well, while Kwon, like the best cellists, often produces a sound more akin to an inspired alto singer.
Seth’s gentle and natural way translates honestly to the big stage, but also influences The Avett Brothers in their process. “We try to let the songs tell us what’s going to happen as far as performing is concerned.”
Scott seems to add a vibrant energy to the band. The sibling differences are arrestingly apparent when the brothers harmonise vocally, as Seth soars and Scott screams, but the two never clash.
The brothers are open about their differences. “We started getting along much better when we became teenagers, before that I just wanted to be around my big brother, and my big brother didn’t want me around.” Seth says, glancing at his brother. Scott responds with certainty: “And we have our differences, there’s no doubt we’re different, but that adds to what we are as a band.”
Bob adds: “Working with these guys is easy, they are completely different men, but they complement each other.”
Perhaps their father summed it up best, as the pair harmonise on 'Murder in the City':
“A tear fell from my father’s eyes
I wondered what my dad would say
He said I love you
And I’m proud of you both, in so many different ways.”
But the personal sentiment goes beyond the two brothers, as Scott explains: “We are a unit that just travels around, we’re very close, we stay close together, its very much like a submarine travelling around.
“We react off each other, man, I know that all comes out on stage, I know it does.”
'I and Love and You' was predictably the crowd’s favourite on the night. The span of teenage girls to middle aged men showed sincere and emphatic appreciation, which led to a heartfelt encore by the band.
Banjos and double bass, may not a great folk band make. But honesty and vitality, which the Avett Brothers have in boat-loads, certainly does.
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But the great spring of American folk is flowing freely through The Avett Brothers and their growth has been as steady as the flow from that historic spring.
