Brothers of Caedmon @ The Yardbird, Sunday 2nd June 2013

Brothers of Caedmon weren’t the only act on tonight but the other two (a chap called Nick and a group called River Street...who’d apparently only got together a week ago to play at an uncle’s wedding) were both cover bands. I’ve nothing against cover bands really (I know they bring some people out in a rash) but reviewing them just seems a little pointless. For what it’s worth both delivered perfectly competent versions of an impressively diverse range of tracks from Led Zep through to the Pogues from Nick (sorry...didn’t catch his last name) and Buddy Holly to The Specials courtesy of River Street.

Brothers of Caedmon dropped in a couple of covers too but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. A four piece (all around 17 years old) formed just a few months ago and with less than a dozen live shows under their belts they’re already displaying some serious promise thanks to their lively fusion of folk, bluegrass, soul, rock and pop (just got to add dubstep and death metal in there and you've got the full set). Kicking off with the banjo driven Just Go lead singer (and lyricist) Conor’s country tinged vocals added a suitably melancholic tone to the track (sample lyric “Choosing you was my biggest mistake”...hell hath no fury like a songwriter scorned eh?). The folk n’soul of debut single Dragons and a White Nurse, whilst perhaps not yet fully realised, has all the makings of a bone fide hit and closing number This Town, with its Postcard records groove, smoky jazz trumpet and Morrissey-ish mournfulness is a truly fascinating genre shagging beast of a track. What they’ll sound like in a month let alone a year is anyone’s guess. At just 17 Conor already possesses a vocal that somehow aches with a lifetime’s experience though and ...hell...it has to be said...his looks (there’s a touch of James Dean going on there) ain’t going to be a handicap either. Personally I’d lose the cover versions right now though (Coldplay’s Fix You and David Guetta’s Titanium). Trust me, it might be very early days, but already they don’t need ‘em.