Reviewed on Saturday January 16
Guitarmanship – if that even is a word – was the special for the night, intentionally or otherwise, for the musical prodigy that is Harts on his latest tour in support of new single ‘All Rise (Play It Cool)’.
Jenny Broke The Window took to the Oxford Art Factory stage with appetising guitars initiating the crowd’s interest before their first single ‘Ravel’ started to fulfil it. From there, their singles old and new littered the set and showcased their live skills, with the right measure of interaction, enthusiasm and tight delivery making the band mighty enjoyable to watch. ‘Black Skeleton’ and ‘Rum ‘N’ Cola’ wrapped things up and had many a body bouncing to their catchy pop-rock.
As a diverse mix of demographics watched the curtains draw, Darren Hart AKA Harts theatrically played the keys; the most stationary the almost-one-man band would be all night. He was joined only by a drummer, and before second song ‘When A Man’s A Fool’ had finished, a crowd member had joyfully thrown a water bottle in the air, rejoicing at the sound of Harts’ stellar guitar work.
Jumping between keys, microphones and any space he could fill, that mop of curls bobbing along, Harts’ jacket was thrown off early on as the funky riff opening 2015’s ‘Breakthrough’ commanded the attention of anyone that was left behind. Calls to sing ‘Red & Blue’ were happily and loudly answered. Mind you, purely witnessing the spectacle that is Harts’ performance – shredding on his knees, impeccable timing, riffing behind the head, whipping that Squier Stratocaster around with ease and injecting bass via the keys with multitasking skills beyond many 22-year-olds – is nothing to complain about.
If there had to be criticism, it would be a longing for live bass, rather than its delivery through the keyboard. Any desire for more instrumentation, however, was well overshadowed by the man’s skill, and when Hart declared “I’m gonna play it cool” to conclude ‘All Rise’, a mix of demands for “one” and “ten more songs!” arose throughout the venue, verifying the rapture of his captivated audience.
