Discussions about food seemed to be a re-occurring conversation topic during the Danny and the Champs gig at Nottingham’s legendary venue The Maze on the13th of September. However, their show wasn’t quite the showstopper.
Danny and the Champions of the World are back on the road touring their sixth studio album “Brilliant Light”. The Americana legends played Nottingham’s prestigious venue The Maze on the 13th September with William the Conqueror as the support act.
William the Conqueror played to a quiet crowd but all eyes were immovable on frontman Ruarri Joseph. Their foot-tapping rhythms and Joseph’s melodic, raspy vocals were subliming to observe live. The stand-out track in their set for me was “Cold Ontario”. Beautiful harmonies and catchy hooks, it was a great display from the band as the proved they can blend genres and that they aren’t ‘just’ a folk band.
As the room began to increasingly fill up, it was time for Danny George Wilson and the Champs to squeeze onto The Maze’s compact stage. Their opening number, “Let the Water Wash over You” was very strong with a roaring, incessant guitar loop. The crowd were nodding their heads along to the riff and Danny’s hoarse voice sounding spectacular in conjunction with the heavy bass riff. “Consider Me” also has a strong bass line throughout, however, it sounded extremely comparable to their previous song.
Unlike many bands, Danny ensures that he creates a bond with his crowd, almost treating them like mates. An inside joke about Game Pie required a pragmatic understanding from people who weren’t too familiar with the band but loyal fans were chuckling and getting involved with the banter. A friendly atmosphere right through.
The vigorous riffs were halted for the light-hearted track “This Is Not a Love Song”. However, the song live was slightly lifeless and unexcited with many of the crowd starting to fidget and stroll over to the bar. The new album continued to dominate the set list with slower number “Flying by the Seat of Our Pants”.
The mood picked up with the sing-a-long, fan favourite “Clear Water”. A catchy upbeat chorus, this track captures the pure essence of the genre Americana. With the crowd singing the lyrics back, this atmosphere was much more enjoyable and less monotonous.
Danny George Wilson came back on stage for an encore, but this time without his Champions. He explained he’d written “Swift Street” for his mother about her experience growing up in Melbourne, Australia. Just Danny and an acoustic guitar, all eyes were static on him. A beautiful, personal song that Danny performed faultlessly.
The Champs returned and performed another fan favourite from one of their earlier albums. “(Never Stop Building) That Old Space Rocket” saw passionate fans punching their arms in the air and singing to their heart’s content, clearly an anthem in the eyes of their followers. “Restless Feet” again sounded very akin to previous songs in the setlist. I’d often think during the set “I thought they just played this song?” as it was tough to distinguish the tracks.
Closing with “Every Beat of My Heart”, you saw the chemistry between the six members of the band with avid fans dancing and enjoying themselves.
Although the music was slightly disappointing with a majority of the set all sounding similar, Danny and The Champions of the World certainly put on an entertaining show and enjoyable atmosphere. Their song and lyrics aren’t really geared towards students, however, it’s certainly one for the lecturers!
By Becky Lumbard