It may have been open for a good year and a half now
but this is the first time I’ve been to Ort Cafe. Yes I know, slack eh? It’s a
pretty chilled out space too, just across the road from Moseley Baths and a
mere 5 minute bus journey (on the number 50) from Birmingham City Centre. Part
community centre, part cafe, part gig venue and part hangout for the various
colourful characters that occupy Moseley’s hinterlands it’s the kind of place
that makes you at least 23% cooler just by knowing about it. All of which makes
it pretty much the perfect setting for tonight’s gig headlined by one man blues
explosion, Funke and the Two Tone Baby.
First up though Sam Sallon, a singer songwriter with
a distinctly late 60s early 70s vibe (both musically and appearance wise)
together with a wonderfully clear vocal delivery and enunciation. You don’t
often see the word enunciation in reviews do you eh? It’s worth mentioning in
this case though as Mr Sallon’s an impressive lyricist too, arguably up there
with Cat Stevens (surely an influence here?) and the late greats John Martyn
and Nick Drake for writing deceptively simple but thought provoking songs,
perhaps best demonstrated this evening in the enchantingly sublime You Are
Home.
Beautiful stuff. Even after 20 odd years of gig going I’m constantly
amazed at the sheer volume of talent...and we’re talking real talent
here...that far too few people ever get to see or hear. Stick these songs on
vinyl, rough it up a bit, disguise it as a lost 70s classic and you’d have the
musos working themselves into a frenzy over it.
Headliner Funke and the Two Tone Baby (all one man
incredibly enough) is a nothing short of a beatboxing, folk, blues, rock
whirlwind. I’m frankly still exhausted just thinking about the gig a good 12
hours or so later. Using two mics and a variety of FX pedals and gizmos he
builds up tracks live, playing with himself (...steady now) in a gloriously
organic freeform style. It’s like a modern version of those one man bands with
the dudes who had a foot operated drum on their back, a harmonica round their
neck and a guitar with a cymbal on it. It’s also outrageously good, the sort of
thing that would give Jack White an instant...and possibly fatal...stiffie. Stomping
the floor so hard it shook the bottles on our table he launched into some
blazing harmonica powered blues in a set that rarely dipped below what could
safely be described as full on. Demonstrating the kind of co-ordination and
nifty footwork that most premier league footballers would happily sacrifice their
diamond encrusted hot tub for he blended hints of Waits, Beefheart and Beck on
one of the set’s standout tracks (and recent single) Cecile’s Song, a primal funk
blues banger. Appropriately enough he covers a Waits track too, 2.19, wryly
observing that audiences in some parts of the UK have absolutely no idea who
the hell he is. I blame the parents. His masterpiece (to date) Battles is a
brooding beatbox beast of a track and tonight he beats the hell out of it,
working up a significant sweat in the process (no mean feat given the unseasonably
nippy weather outside). Encore, a fabulous blast through Paint It Black, capped
off a hugely enjoyable set and, with a gentlemanly doff of his hat Funke left
us all to catch our breath. Trust me, no one will put this baby in a corner...
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