Fantastic Dogs keep right on track

Track Dogs at ACE Space, St Nicholas Road, Newbury on Saturday, April 6

Review by CHRIS MARTIN

ANOTHER fantastic evening from Track Dogs.

They are the only band to have played ACE Space three times and they received an enthusiastic reception.

The capacity audience were treated to a great mix of old favourites and new material from latest album Blind Summits and Hidden Dips – a title that reflects the ups and downs of the music business.

With Garrett Wall on guitar, ukulele and lead vocals, Robbie K Jones on banjo and percussion, Dave Mooney on bass and mandolin and Howard Jones on trumpet, the band kicked off with Play Nice from the new album.

The first set rattled though old favourites like Fire on the Rails, Yeah Right, Only Human and Man of Constant Sorrow and wrapped up with two new ones - Cover Your Tracks and Peace Inside.

Howard’s trumpet-playing on the ending to The Deep End was particularly brilliant.

Garrett maintained an easy rapport with the audience, many of whom were regulars at Track Dogs gigs, with frequent dedications to individuals in the room. The audience responded with several sessions of ‘joining in the chorus’.

The second set opened with the band gathered around a single microphone and some lovely close harmony, songs included Carolina in My Mind. We were treated to the first live performance of Too Good For This World. Garrett admitted to messing up the words, not that we were any the wiser – the song still sounded great.

Robbie then treated us to a blues-based interlude with him on banjo and songs including Be Your Silver Bullet.

After the end of the second set, the cries for an encore brought us the rousing Donna Lola. Having been warned, then followed Robbie’s long drawn out very loud yell to introduce us to old-favourite Ruby, which was further spiced up with some Appalachian dancing from Alice Jones in a sparkly outfit.

This great gig wrapped up with Way of Things, the opening track from the new album and the band joining the audience a cappella for All Clapped Out.

Mark Stafford engineered great sound and was duly thanked by the band.