An acoustic gig can't hide anything
There are bands whose style differs from the rest. An intimate venue can only highlight their artistry. A pleasant environment for those who enjoy fine music. Those who came to see The Shookies at Kafara in Brno on Saturday November 2nd had the opportunity to experience just that. The Shookies are a band from Brno (so this could be considered a hometown gig), have been playing for nearly ten years. Last summer their biggest dream came true and they supported the legendary Irish band Interference and Glen Hansard at Jazz tibet club in Olomouc. They released their second album called Sooner or Later earlier this year, spent five years working on that. But hard work always pays off.
The gig at Kafara was slightly different from what fans of the band are used to. First of all, the fiddle player Anna Hrbackova was missing this time but the rest of the band coped with it brilliantly. The acoustic arrangements of the songs were interesting, hard to pick up a highlight but if we were supposed to choose one, it would be Tram 27 performed solo by the lead singer Filip Burš. If you listen closely to the lyrics you would feel like being at a gig either in Ireland or somewhere abroad. The influence of Glen Hansard's songwriting is clear to anybody who's familiar with the Oscar-winning songsmith.
The lead singer's vocal is passionate and dynamic, it shines especially in the slower, gospel-ish songs. You could clearly see the band works together really well and the years of playing together are showing. Everybody knows what§s to come and every member understands the others without having to say anything.
The intimate lighting was only adding another layer to the atmospheric evening and it all ended way quicker than everyone would have liked. It was clear to everyone that the band would have been playing till the wee hours if they could.
