Chris Grieve (trombone & electronics), Graeme Stephen (guitar & loops) & David Carnegie (drums)
(Review by Russell/photo courtesy of Mike Tilley)
A fleet of trucks, three executive tour buses and a road crew working around the clock to ensure the show would start on time. The band arrived by executive helicopter, a limo on the tarmac to whisk them to the venue. Fans queued around the block, stage door security tight, this promised to be some gig.
And so it was…autumn 1972, Newcastle City Hall, Led Zeppelin. Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love. Fast forward to spring 2016, Zeppelin were in town again at the Jazz Café. This time the boys arrived by car, carried their gear upstairs, soundchecked then went for a pint. Grieve, Stephen and Carnegie are Soundbone. Soundbone plays Led Zep is the gig. Three jazz musicians playing heavy rock, an unlikely prospect, potentially a horror show. No fear of that. Black Dog, the first tune of the night and, perhaps, the best of the night. Grieve, Stephen and Carnegie are top flight players and this ‘project’ is a fun occasion revisiting the back catalogue of the behemoth that was Led Zeppelin. Zillions of watts condensed; processed via a twenty-first century box of tricks on the floor, the music of Soundbone is a rearrangement of familiar riffs. Drummer David Carnegie, once of this parish, did John Bonham proud on a monstrous Moby Dick. DC arranged Misty Mountain Hop and the trio closed the first set with a sprawling Communication Breakdown.
The trombone, electronics and vocals of unlikely front man Chris Grieve provided a jazz and rock audience – the Led Zep tag an attraction for some – a focal point. Solos, such as they were, traded with the undemonstrative Graeme Stephen. The seated guitarist played another blinder. Seen and heard in various combos – NeWt, Breach and Celtic outfits – a more self-effacing musician you couldn’t wish to meet. This Soundbone gig found him in tremendous form; improviser, rhythm meister, rocking out. Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, the West Coast hippie trailblazer Going to California, the audience knew them all. Chris Grieve detached his clip mic to vocally devour Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) to end a marvellous evening. The missing Zeppelin fans would have got this – heavy rock reworked (Zeppelin were a blues band in essence), the tunes largely intact, so, what’s not to like? The Soundbone boys are busy people. Their Led Zeppelin set is an oh so rare gig, so, the next time they’re in town, be there.
Russell.
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