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I’d been looking forward to this gig for weeks, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to see. Daptone records are the lucky label who are blessed with the presence of the almighty Sharon Jones, in my opinion undisputed queen of funk! Gabriel Roth’s (Desco) label is still in its infancy, but all the releases so far have been nothing short of genius, especially from the awe inspiring Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. But let me start with the support, the UK’s Soul Destroyers and Sharon Jackson kicked off the gig in style, Malcolm Catto definitely lives up to his reputation on the breaks. Sharon Jackson definitely had an abundance of sex appeal as she took us through some of the tracks which have seen the group become one of London’s finest. ‘Fakin It’ was definitely a highlight, as were ‘Keep On’ and ‘Blow Your Top’. Their set seemed to get the crowd going perfectly…ready for the main event. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Bloody amazing. Its difficult to put into words how good this performance actually was, because I still wouldn’t be able to do it justice. Jesus Christ this woman has a voice, not just any voice, a jaw dropping, mind blowing sort of voice. I’d been listening to their 45s religiously leading up to the gig, but to hear tracks such as, ‘Got A Thing on my Mind’, ‘Make It Good To Me Baby’ and ‘Got to be the Way it is’ live was wicked! The musicianship was flawless, from the out set the crowd were right behind the Dap Kings, and boy, did they deliver! The set was amazing, showcasing Sharon’s charisma and voice perfectly, even the band seemed to worship her, the night belonged to her, without a doubt! The set lasted for about 1 hour and 50 minutes…there were 2 encores, but the crowd still couldn’t get enough of, including me! They hyped this night as the biggest funk gig since James Brown at the Apollo in ’69. Well, I wasn’t around to see that (years and years from my conception), but I’m sure that Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are heavy contenders for the title. Rarely do things leave me speechless; rarely does anyone make me act like a nervous, geeky fan, but man this performance was just purely on another level. If you can’t appreciate this kind of funk (i.e. funk of the highest form), you obviously don’t have a soul! Go buy some Daptone 45s right now, before it’s too late!- Get the latest issue of Big Daddy and read all about Sharon Jones!  Related
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Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings Mean Fiddler, London
