Monday 30/05/05 The Duke Spirit, Archie Bronson Outfit, Duke Special @ The Academy 2, Liverpool

    It doesn’t happen often, but on the odd occasion you turn up to a gig with an idea in your mind of how the night will generally pan out… only to find that there is a hidden gem beyond your expectation…

Tonight this comes in the form of a support act going under the name of Duke Special (no relation to The Duke Spirit in case you're wondering). The unlikely character is a singer-songwriter from Belfast whose musical originality manages to capture the imagination and momentarily transform us back in time to a theatrical music hall. His set opens with the room darkened and the crackling sound of an old gramophone eerily playing 20s style music. The lights appear and on steps Duke Special dressed in black with dreadlocks tied up in a ball leaving two dreads hanging down over his glazed eyes.  He leans hunchback-like over his draped piano proceeding with a compelling and unique blend of cabaret performance, theatrical vocals and simple pop melodies.  Tracks ‘Last Night I Nearly Died (But I Woke Up Just In Time)’ and ‘Don’t Breathe’ steal the show and confirm that Duke Special has created a new mould of singer-songwriter unfamiliar and unscarred from the usual Badly Drawn Boy syndrome - I urge you all to go out and see for yourselves.

Next up are Archie Bronson Outfit, who unfortunately cannot compare.  A mix of The White Stripes and Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club is nothing we haven’t seen before, and although there are glimpses of ABO’s own stamp, there is still a lot of work to be done to compare them with the real thing.

It's time for The Duke Spirit to show us what they're made of. After receiving high praise for their debut album ‘Cut Across the Land’, some of which is excellent, some of which is album filler.  It's really pleasing then to see the band deliver such a swagger that you cant identify on the album, and led by vocalist Liela Moss, whose PJ Harvey sleek and sexy Debbie Harry charisma makes The Duke Spirit worth watching. Tracks ‘Win Your Love’ and ‘Red Weather’ are played with shear menace as guitarist Luke Ford hits a fierce riff, like a machine gun to the crowd.  The band have also made one of the soundtracks of the year in ‘Love Is An Unfamiliar Name’, a tune so good you it makes you like twice.

The band are young and hungry, if they can stick with the quality tunes and ditch the shit, combined with their natural live ability, they will certainly go far.  Surprisingly though, the night will be remembered by a new Duke on the block – rise Mr Special.