Monday 25th July - Hayseed Dixie at The Cockpit, Leeds By Joe Malarky (1/2) Whole lotta Dixie

(1/2), (2/2).

I discovered Hayseed Dixie whilst searching for a version of Duelling Banjos in my local record shop. I won't go into why I was searching for the main tune from Deliverance, that's my business and anyway it's not important. What does matter is that I was intrigued by the Tennessee quartet. I did a little research and found that their beliefs are simple. All good songs are based on four key elements drinking, loving, fighting and Hell, the first leading rapidly to the last presumably.

Furthermore they firmly believe that Hank Williams' Lost Highway and The Highway to Hell of AC/DC are one and the same. It therefore followed that a new musical genre was born. They take standard rock classics, give them a hillbilly makeover and Bob's your uncle, and in the case of these guy's, very likely your father as well. Rock Grass is the result and Hayseed Dixie are currently touring the UK spreading the good word.

A date in Leeds seemed too good an opportunity to miss, so I took the relatively straightforward journey to Leeds followed by the inevitable, less than straightforward trip around the city centre looking for a place to park. After spending an age and using an inordinate amount of petrol on my quest, I eventually found that there is a car park right next to the venue, if only I had done my research properly. I entered The Cockpit's dark, dank, smoky almost claustrophobic hall convinced I was in some kind of glorified air raid shelter.

One glance at the ceiling revealed a corrugated iron structure that would not have been out of place in my grannies garden during the war, it seems my initial assumption was bang on. The support act was on stage. A cheerful young girl with a big voice, matching her big acoustic guitar, was just rounding off a very acceptable version of Pinball Wizard. The warm up complete, I needed to cool down. With such a compact venue, a full house meant that the temperature was souring and what little air conditioning there was, struggled to cope.

I headed for the bar in search of some refreshment. Suitably replenished, I started to think about the main act. I was puzzled by their image, was the good old boy's routine just a facade, or did they really lead the lifestyle they preached? The band shambled on to the stage, attired in typical red-neck uniforms of cut off jeans and sleeveless t-shirts, (if you've seen the characters in The Simpson's then you'll know exactly what I mean.) Getting priorities right they sorted out beer and bottle openers, before their instruments.

With no introduction, they launched their set using the sort of manic intensity that only those reared on corn liquor could muster. They rolled out original arrangements of rock classics using the tools of their trade, namely guitar, fiddle, banjo, violin and bass.

Continued... Next page (2/2).

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