Reviewed onTuesday March 22
With The Allman Brothers Band now retired, it feels like Tedeschi Trucks Band are well placed to become the new standard-bearers of Southern rock. An old-school jam band for the ages, they straddle blues, rock, jazz, soul and gospel in a performance that showcases a group at the top of its game – a throwback to the likes of Delaney & Bonnie.
The ambitious 12-piece blues rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, led by husband-and-wife team Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, return tonight for their third Australian tour alongside Bluesfest. Their recently released third studio album, Let Me Get By, was self-produced and recorded in their own studio, but it is soon apparent that it’s on the road where this band really thrives.
Opening with a number of cuts from their new album, Tedeschi Trucks Band settle in for a long and satisfying set that incorporates a rich vein of influences. The dynamics of a jam band are fraught with danger. 12 performers and countless styles on the one stage would make most record labels quiver. Yet the interplay between these guys sets them apart.
The critic Robert Palmer once said of Duane Allman that he was the only guitarist who could solo on a one-chord vamp for half an hour or more, and not only avoid boring you but keep you absolutely riveted. The same might be said of Trucks tonight. A player with a deft touch, his jazz-inflected style honours his Southern roots and interest in traditional Indian music in equal parts. Tedeschi, meanwhile, plays with real fire on her Strat, her rich vocals and assertive presence complementing her partner’s more restrained approach. The engine room of Oteil Burbridge on keys, Mike Mattinson on backing vocals and David Bowie collaborator Tim Lefebvre on bass provides a powerful nucleus that maintains the driving momentum as the gig enters its third hour.
Later, the Derek and The Dominos classic ‘Anyday’ really allows Trucks to stretch out on guitar. The night concludes with a stomping rendition of old favourite ‘Bound For Glory’ but not before an impressive cover of The Beatles’ ‘Something’.
It’s nice to think that in the midst of the digital download era, a group as distinctive and unconventional as this can carve its own niche. Tedeschi Trucks Band are likely to be one of the standout acts at Byron Bay this weekend.
