Wednesday 05/10/06 The Black Keys @ The Kentish Forum, London

There are few things better than when you go to a gig, and a member of the band has (seemingly) spontaneously grown a brilliant beard since you last saw them. Imagine the jubilation, therefore, when Black Keys singer Dan Auerbach bounds out tonight with a face-hugger of David Bellamy proportions. Maybe the attraction comes from the fact that this facial spouting represents a sizeable period of time, and quite literally, of growth (or maybe I’ve just got a strange Freudian beard fetish).  

Given The Black Key’s journey over the last 4 years, those face follicles could tell a story or two, a musical tale that is well and truly reflected in tonight’s awesome, ‘career-spanning’ set. This evening, Dan and drummer Patrick Carney churn out tracks from all four of their albums with the blues/rock mastery we have come to expect. Spanking their way through the feedback riddled ‘Thickfreakness’, Auerbach’s ability to squeeze every iota of sound out of his guitar is remarkable. The songs may be simple in their style, and may all revolve mainly around blues in one key, but the riffs that come pounding towards tonight’s audience are anything but dull. 

‘Girl Is On My Mind’ gets a predictably emphatic reaction, given it’s recent advertisement buggery, but The Black Keys are certainly not a one trick pony, as slower number ‘You’re The One’ from their new album ‘Magic Potion’ proves with a beautiful bit of vocal delicacy from Auerbach.

Carney is on top drumming form tonight. One of the most effective elements of the Black Key’s music has always been Patricks’s ability to explore his drum kit as if he too were thrashing away on a lead guitar. On the live stage, impromptu fills, missed beats, sloppy intros and a lazy style add to this sense that the percussion becomes a bone-fide way of creating and landscaping raw, kiss-ass melodies. Early number ‘Busted’ gives Carney the chance to really show off his scary telepathic ability to bounce off of Auerbach’s every improvised lick and riff, making for a truly organic, truly live experience.

The guys wrap up the first part of the set with the rousing ‘Have Love Will Travel’, which sees Dan wielding his ‘axe’ up on the drum it, the crowd clapping along happily, and big smiles all round. But ‘Grown So Ugly’ and ‘Til I Get My Way’ provide an absolutely killer encore that leaves the audience gawping.

As this reviewer contemplates throwing away all razors, and starting work on a winter beard, the real secret to the lad’s success becomes clear. It’s obvious from their on stage demeanour that The Black Key’s are not just a musical partnership, but also very very good mates. Rather than hugely image conscious, and obsessed with becoming a super-cool outfit, Dan and Patrick seem more concerned with having fun and kicking out some banging blues – it just so happens that a couple of thousand people turned up to watch.