Churches make for odd gig venues.
They're always atmospheric and interesting, not to mention
acoustically superior to most buildings but they create a sense of
reverence amongst an audience that, when paired with the wrong artist
can detract a little from the show. Luckily for me and the other 60
or so people at D.D. Dumbo's show at the haunting, cracked and
wonderful St Pancras Old Church in King's Cross, that wasn't the case
here.Having first heard of D.D Dumbo via NPR's brilliant field recording's series, I was intrigued to hear more of his rhythmic, guitar driven music and to see for myself just how his approach to live performance works.
Judging by his sparse between-song-chatter D.D Dumbo (Oliver Perry off stage) is a fairly unassuming guy. Soft spoken, polite and funny. The songs themselves though are complex, clever, and driven by almost irresistible grooves and rhythms. A lone figure on stage, Perry creates these layered and vibrant tunes from scratch using 2 drums, a modified Danelectro 12 string guitar, a loop pedal and a microphone.
