Barfly Camden 28 November 2014
Californian band Dirty Heads brought some sounds of the Golden State with them to brighten up a dreary winter night in Camden. The band has already had great success in the American charts with their latest album The Sound Of Change and are currently having great fun on the road. Previously known for their lazy west coast surfer sound, the album represents a personal sound of change by taking their music to a funky new level.
The Barfly was jumping with the bands warm tones combining ska, reggae, alt rock and hip hop, their energy and enthusiasm is as infectious as their melodies; My Sweet Summer, the awesome Sound Of Change, the playfully cheeky and sexy Hear Ya Cumin, Silence and Burials are all anthemic gig songs which you can't help lose yourself in. They do ballads pretty well too with The End Of The World breaking up the set up nicely before jumping into the heavily reggae influenced slow tune, Radio.
By sharing lead vocals, Dustin Bushell and Jared Watson allowing the music to
alternate between generic styles which really adds to their live performance.
Matt Ochoa is a firery drummer and is complemented by Jon Olazabal's
percussion. David Floral on bass keeps the band steady by enhancing the
rhythm section and Shawn Hagood is a master of whipping up electro beats
on his keyboard. All the members are essential in the creation of the sound
that makes them so enjoyable and unique. Burials is a perfect example of the
percussion, rhythm, keys and vocals all working together to create the Dirty
Heads sound that is so distinctive.
Ego has little part to play in their live performance, it is all about the musical experience and the connection with the audience and having a good time. Their loyal following is such that I overheard one fan saying to her boyfriend " if we win the lottery I'm having these guys play at our wedding!" Now not only would that be trés cool, it sums up the universal enjoyment that everyone gets from their feel good vibes, no matter what your taste in music.