Dawes | Interview & Acoustic session

Interview by Tim Cooper | Film by Kathy Magee

In a double-header that might well have gone down in mid-Seventies LA as “One Of Those Nights” (to coin a phrase), a sold-out Borderline hosted a stunning show by Dawes and Jonathan Wilson.

On a steamy July night Dawes opened the show with their Seventies-influenced jams, evoking echoes of everyone from Little Feat to The Band, before being joined by Wilson, showcasing songs from similarly Seventies-influenced solo debut Gentle Spirit.

It was a night of tight rhythms and harmonies, loose guitar solos and keyboard improvisations. After two hours of spellbinding interplay, and in one of the worst kept secrets in town, up jumped Jackson Browne, who was doing this sort of thing before the guys onstage with him were born.

He gave the rapt crowd, including luminaries ranging from Roy Harper to Caitlin Rose, half an hour more including These Days and a tribute to Warrren Zevon before closing with – inevitably – a mass singalong of Take It Easy.

It was a magical night and it’s a tribute to the present-day keepers of the Laurel Canyon flame that both Dawes and Wilson held their own against the living legend alongside them.

Before that we caught up with Dawes backstage and persuaded them to tell us a little about themselves before playing an acoustic version of ‘How Far We’ve Come’ from their album ‘Nothing is Wrong’.

Danny & The Champs Borderline Gig | Poster competition & Discounted tickets

This Wednesday 8th June, Danny & The Champions of the World are back in London for a headline show at the Borderline.

We’ve got 10 discounted tickets available for Notes for Mount Pleasant readers which gets you entry for 6 pounds (instead of 8), that means an extra beer at the bar.  First 10 to email us go on the NfMP discount list on the door.

We also have a signed screen print of their poster, designed by the fantastic Scarlett Rickard, from an original photo by Tommy Sheehan. Get your hands on one by answering the following question:

In Danny & the Champs new song “Every Beat of my Heart”, what animal is “always the one bopping around”.  Answers by email please with *Champs Poster* as the subject.  Good luck!

And here’s something to whet your appetite that we filmed in Cheltnam back in April on record store day.

We’ll see you at the gig!