TOOTS & THE MAYTALS | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Thurs 1 Sept
Having never seen Toots And The Maytals live I was really geared up for this evening, as were many others – and they didn’t disappoint.
After some excellent old school reggae and ska 45s had been spun by Liam Curtin and friends, Cardiff’s very own Captain Accident And The Disasters were first up. Stating how honoured they were to be supporting, they rose to the challenge on this, the second of three dates with Toots. Songs like Restless Man, Business and closer 20 Pence indicate they have the tools to become a bigger name; Adam Parsons is the effortless frontman making sure that white reggae is no longer a pejorative term, while Joel Beswick (also of Junior Bill) features on keys, endlessly dancing and grinning. Nice work, boys.
Toots Hibbert (now 73, but age ain’t nothing but a number) arrives onstage to Pressure Drop after some excellent vocal performances by his daughter Leba. From there on in, it didn’t stop for the entire show. Classics like 54-46, Funky Kingston and Sweet & Dandy were all on point, my only personal harrumph being their cover of Country Roads; the energy and party atmosphere, though, kept everyone happy and having a good time.
At the beginning of the night I noticed quite a few ‘older’ people (choosing my words carefully, as I’m no spring chicken) in attendance. No surprise as Toots has been around a while, releasing Do The Reggay back in 1968 and introducing the term to most British people. On anthemic closer Monkey Man everyone lost their faeces, regardless of age, creed or colour – not wanting to sound older than my years, but isn’t that what you want at a gig?
On the way out, I bumped into my mate Rhys who introduced me to his mum. “Every time I’ve seen Toots And The Maytals she’s come along and always has a good time,” he told me. IRIE!
words JUSTIN EVANS photos NATHAN ROACH