Wailers bring summer to windy Newcastle
THE Wailers Live at The O2 Academy, Newcastle, March 8
It may have been lashing with rain and blowing a gale outside, but for a couple of hours at least this wintry night in Newcastle was transformed into a breezy, Jamaican summer party in the presence of the legendary The Wailers on the opening night of their UK tour.
With guitarist Donald Kinsey and Tyrone Downie on keyboards from The Wailers which backed Bob Marley in the ‘70s still with the band, for nigh on a couple of hours they thrilled the Newcastle crowd some with of Reggae’s finest moments from Is This Love, I Shot The Sheriff, No Woman No Cry and Get Up – the hits just kept coming.
The Wailers didn’t stop there though as they dug deep into their rich catalogue with a
wonderful, pulsating Rastaman Vibration, Heathen and Survival, not to mention the classic Johnny Was, sounding so fresh and vibrant you’d think they were recorded yesterday.
On vocals, Josh David Barrett had the unenviable task of singing those parts that have become part of the Bob Marley legend, and if truth be told, he did an astonishing job of paying respect to the originals while bringing his own youthful twist to those songs.
With original drummer Carlton Barrett no longer with us, it was left to his nephew, and son of original bassist Aston “Familyman” Barrett, to fill the drum stool and no doubt his dad, sat at the back of the stage throughout the show, felt a glow of pride that the family legacy was in safe hands.
A stunning Reggae reworking of Johnny B Goode gave Donald Kinsey the microphone and a platform to show some chops. With the brand new It’s Alright pointing the way to the future, it was left to the supreme groove of Exodus to transform the floor into a heaving, swaying mass of people.