Review - Wilko Johnson - Islington Academy 30th September 2011

Wilko Johnson


Islington Academy


Friday 30th September 2011

Photo © David Coombes

 The London leg of Wilko's nationwide tour. I have been desperate to see Wilko Johnson live for some years now and so I was delighted to get to see this gig. The Islington Academy is a pretty small venue but this suited the energetic three piece to a tee. The audience was made of quite a motley crew, looking for the most part over forty and the vast majority of them possessing more than a few locks of greying hair.  Surrounded as I was, I felt rather at home.

As usual Wilko took to the stage with assist Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe. Watt-Roy is a tremendous musician and another live wire. With Wilko on one side of the stage and Norman on the other, it's like trying to keep track of a manic game of ping-pong. To the left, to the right, left, right, left, right. You just don't know where to rest your eyes. Dylan Howe beats out a solid and unfailing backdrop.

I'd heard a lot about Wilko's shows particularly the energy and the tightness of the band. This description was absolutely spot on. I wasn't disappointed when the show kicked off with Everybody's Carrying A Gun which is an absolute old favourite of mine from the Solid Senders album.

Photo © Rob Pope

Honestly, Wilko would never win many prizes for singing but to be equally honest I doubt if there were many people in the audience that were there to listen to him croon. To my absolute delight the moves began right from the beginning; Wilko strutting around and being pulled back and forth like he was attached to an imaginary piece of elastic. Couple that with the machine gunning of the audience (see David Coombes fantastic image at the top of the review) and the thousand yard stare and you have the image of the eccentric, quirky genius that is Wilko Johnson.  A lot of the numbers I wanted to hear were included; Dr Dupree, Western Plains, Sneakin' Suspicion, and Going Back Home were all beautifully played with the majority of the numbers coming from the glory years of the Dr Feelgood back catalogue.

Photo © Rob Pope

I couldn't contain myself when up popped glorious extended versions of Irene and Don't Let Your Daddy Know where we got to meet the members of the band and they got to show off a little. The delicious riff of Irene is the main reason why I started listening to the world famous sons of Canvey Island all those years ago.

The main show ended with another two Dr Feelgood numbers Back In The Night and She Does It Right and just when I thought it was all over, the show was rounded off with a barnstorming  Johnny-B-Goode. Bonus.

If you have a musical bucket list, add Wilko Johnson and his band to it, don't wait until you get grey hair and past forty before you do it. Wilko Johnson and his band are a musical and visual spectacular.

Rob Pope

Guitarist TV