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Following the luxurious six-string shimmer of Wirral’s By the Sea, an impressively busy Mojo continued along much the same theme as Vetiver appeared in front the Elvis mural on the back wall.
Led by a customarily be-hatted Andy Cabic, the five-piece had more of a hazy, gentle West Coast psychedelic sound live than on record. ‘The last time we played here was the Barfly’ Cabic stated, showing how long it’s been since they were last in the city. ‘This is a lot better’ he grinned.
The vague sonic similarities between the present act and fellow San Franciscans The Grateful Dead came to the fore when supplemented with live drums and the lacksidasical charm of their performance.
Sarah Vesprille on keys brought jazzy, vibraphone-sounding melodic threads to proceedings. With the codas of several tracks coaxed out and the three-part harmonies much in evidence, the band were also reminiscent of well, The Band.
The Band’s time as Bob Dylan’s collaborators on the rich tapestry of songs that was released as The Basement Tapes was also evoked by the sublime guitar interplay on stage.
Debuting a new song, the quintet swayed through a track which sounded like a dim recollection of Bowie’s superlative Golden Years.
Credit is due to the band for the soft lilt of Maureen, possibly the only song to bear the moniker. A name Mick Jagger said he would never consider using, when asked why he chose the title of Angie.
With five albums to draw from, the setlist was understandably skewed in favour of well-received recent long player Errant Charm.
Of the back catalogue, the staccato strum of Everyday received the warmest reception. he nagging vocal hook staying in the listener’s mind long after the song has departed.