READING - Band on the Wall, gig review

Johnny Clarke - Band On The Wall, Manchester, England / 8th March 2002
Review and article by Norman Darwen
Reproduced by permission of the Author.

Having finally managed to see this man live onstage, it is now even more of a mystery to me why he never achieved the international recognition of a Dennis Brown or Gregory Isaacs. A two hour set, containing a good number of recognised Roots anthems - mostly his own - and spiced with honey-voiced lovers tunes for the ladies, topped off with some well-chosen covers.

The Dub Asante Band, featuring Clifton 'Bigga' Morrison on keyboards, provided excellent backing, the drummer had obviously been practising his 'flying cymbal' sound and the dance was rammed. What more could a Roots lover want? It is probably easier to list just what Johnny did not sing! Some might say that 'None Shall Escape The Judgement' came surprisingly early in the set, but that is to overlook the quality of songs such as 'Roots Natty Congo', 'African Roots' and 'Every Tongue Shall Tell', all of which came later. The band added extended dub sections to several numbers, obviously having paid attention to King Tubby.

Johnny proved an energetic and exuberant performer and a couple of numbers into his set he removed his tam to display knee-length locks. A sublime version of 'You'll Lose A Good Thing' and a Babylon-shaking, dreader dread 'Crazy Baldheads' revealed that Johnny retains the talent to transform borrowed material into something very much his own, 'Left With A Broken Heart' was an excellent tribute to John Holt, an early influence, whilst 'Rock With Me Baby' just got everyone dancing with smiles on their faces!

A night to remember for a long, long time - though Johnny did tell me he hopes to be back! The feeling is mutual...