Barnyard a la KING!

BUT BACK TO THE SHOW:

As always, aKING did not disappoint. Their ability to reinvent riffs and intros of their well-known repertoire keeps their gigs fresh and interesting. My favourite for this round was the longer, more complex intro to 'In the Twilight'.

Evident again last night was the supreme musical talent of front man Laudo Liebenberg. Arguably one of the better musicians on the SA scene, he's attuned to each note, lyric and sign from his fellow band members. Though it's clear that the stage's ramp was a bit of a challenge for him (he seems to not take to movement easily) he has an emotional input to the music that could leave you breathless at times.

You can't help still missing Hunter Kennedy on stage, but his absence takes nothing away from the band's ability to perform. Newbie Andrew Davenport from Thieve-fame (if there is such a thing) seems aware of the big shoes he needs to fill and since I'm feeling particularly generous, I think he's getting there.

We were also treated to two new songs, presumably from the new album due in April 2011. I've learnt not to comment on aKING songs before I've listened to them a couple of times so I'll keep it short: The ballad 'Holding on' had some awesome bass-drum vibes, but was a bit long and sounded just too familiar. I'm in two minds about the guitar intro to 'First brush' so I shall refrain from commenting. However, my +1 thinks it has potential.

You'd think that I'd be over aKING's Grand Finale where everyone, but Laudo leaves the stage and he strums the first notes to 'Shine Your Light', but alas no. I was captivated by the performance as I was a couple years back in Bloemfontein's Mystic Boer where I watched my first aKING show. From the first note down to the last - by which time the entire band is back on stage - aKING had me riveted. These guys sure know how to put on a show - must be Laudo's drama background.

Follow them on twitter @akingband (though they never tweet) or check out their facebook page (which they do update) for news on more gigs.

PS: The 'Know Your Bones' music video, directed by drummer, Snake, will be on our screens soon! Keep an eye on BizLounge for our opinion.

Images sourced from www.jip.co.za