Live: Paves @ The Pipeline

Paves: The Pipeline Bar, London

Despite only being a stone’s throw from some serious city money, walking into the Pipeline is like walking into your favourite student bar.  Upstairs there’s pool tables and pinball, but in the downstairs cellar there’s a seriously good music space complete with punk graffiti and cheap beer.  So a pretty perfect venue for a new band coming to try out a short set of new songs and after tonight I’m sure Paves fanbase is going to grow.

Although they’ve been through a few name changes in the last year, Paves now seem to be established as a proper 4-piece rock outfit, which has seen them being voted Cultured Vultures best new band of 2015, and a tour through April and May that will see them visit Bristol, Birmingham and Sheffield to name but a few…..

…and before they even play a chord, its clear they’ve got a great look about them.  They’re led by Luke Shield who combines vocals with rhythm guitar, and most noticeably the best hat in music since JK from Jamiroquoi, and he’s backed up by Perry Read who’s invested his cash on a vivid peppermint coloured bass.

Launching into their opening song, I see you, its clear to see where they’ve drawn inspiration from, with hints at the Stones and the Doors all wrapped up in more swaggery blues package that’s right up to date.  Although the focus tends to be drawn towards Luke, for me it was Mike Whitakers guitar breaks that really got my attention especially as the set progressed and the band became noticeably more relaxed.

Tracks like I need myself a woman and I’ve got a feeling (my baby won’t let me go) have both got some great hooks and lyrics to them and were justifiably popular with the crowd as they allude to unfulfilled desires and slightly scary girlfriends,. And when he wasn’t at the front, Luke whirls around towards the back of the stage allowing Mike and Perry to take the lead, and also giving the wonderfully maniacal Tom Triggs to let rip on drums.

But it’s for the last two tracks the band get really serious.  Take Me While I’m Here is a bit of a drifters anthem, and starts in upbeat vein, before a slow mid section leads into a really awesome guitar break that has a real Lynyrd Skynyrd feel to it.  For me it was one of those guitar solos that could have gone on for another 10 minutes and I’d still not gotten bored of it!  They close the short set with Get Out, a song of broken love which kicks off in a very psychedelic  way before exploding into a finale that has Luke and Perry both leaping around the stage, with Luke’s guitar neck finally getting caught up in Perry’s mic stand and sending it toppling to the stage.  Great stuff.

So a short set, but a great showcase for a really original band.  Yes they definitely have a derivative feel about them, but that’s actually part of their strength and appeal.  These are the bits that people latch on to, before realising they’ve been drawn into something much more unique with its own sense of style and direction, and each of the songs has something to surprise you.  And whatever you do Luke, don’t get rid of the hat!

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Paves: Review by Andy Sampson at The Pipeline Bar, London on 10^th March 2016.