Following their rainy 2:30pm set at the North Coast Music Festival, the British soul/funk quartet rounded the corner on Lake Street for an official NCMF after party at the much more intimate Bottom Lounge. Most of the crowd was covered in a stinky fatigue from dancing in Union Park all afternoon, but the room hummed with pent-up energy as members of the road crew finished tweaking the stage set-up.
It was already 12:30am when The New Mastersounds took their places and kicked the crowd into high gear from the first creamy notes. Guitarist and bandleader Eddie Roberts donned a fake pigeon on his shoulder and drummer Simon Allen expressed his dislike of cheap, American beer. But who can blame him?
The set consisted mostly of songs from older albums such as 102%, but did include "Can You Get It" and "Freckles" from their new album(see review below). They also debuted a brand new composition. It stuck closely with their signature sound--instrumental, funky and upbeat.
Despite mics set up for each member, "Can You Get It" was the only song that featured vocals during the performance. It tests the fans' ears to identify specific songs due to the lack of chorus. That didn't bother the audience and the pillars were the only stationary things in the room. Even one mohawked young man with a set jaw that seemed to be resisting the urge to dance began to bounce to the groove by the third or fourth song.
It was nearly three in the morning when the crowd spilled onto Lake Street, hailing cabs or walking to cars or unlocking bikes and everybody was singing the melody of the last tune and laughing as they trickled off into the cool September night.
As is common in their realm of the musical world, the emphasis falls on performances and reacting to the crowd's energy and doing their damnedest to keep anybody from crossing their arms or checking the time. By those standards, The New Mastersounds are extremely good at what they do. Go here and find out when they are playing near you.
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