The Damn Truth & Parker Barrow

Mark Lear
2 days ago
8 min read

Updated: 8 hours ago

Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, Staffordshire – I feel as if this place is becoming my second home as it’s the third time I’ve been here in as many weeks, still, If they keep coming up with such high-quality gigs, I’m likely to keep coming back.

Three weeks ago, Kris Barras’ Hollow Souls hit the stage for a blistering performance as part of their 19-date tour. A week later Toby Lee damn near blew everyone away with an unbelievable show that amazed all who came to witness. Tonight, an old favourite comes back into town like they do every time they tour, such is the love and affection that they receive. Leek may be a million miles away from Montreal, but it matters not as that love and affection makes the distance disappear in an instant.

We have a Support too, tonight with a band that hails from Nashville, the thick end of 1,100 miles south of Montreal, but a band that has a lot of synergy with our headliners. Female led and driven and a performance that goes with a fair lick of pace, so it all bodes well for a Thursday night. The Damn Truth headline with Parker Barrow starting it all off.

Tonight, is the second date of the tour; it having started in Norwich last night – Norwich ? To Leek ? What a cr*ppy journey that must have been. Four hours and a 170 miles of ‘A’ roads. Who the hell planned that ! – Anyway, I digress…

For the uninitiated, The Foxlowe Arts Centre is in the market town of Leek, in the very north of Staffordshire. Farming country and the gateway to the Peak District. Sleepy, most of the time - although it does put on a decent Blues and Americana Festival each year, in and around October time – and of course, it awakens when bands like we have tonight, roll into town.

Let’s get on with it…

Parker Barrow – I first came across this band a few short months ago, back in July, when they ventured on to our fair shores for the very first time (as a band anyway) with a dinky three date co-headline tour with Xander and the Peace Pirates, and an appearance at the Maid of Stone Festival. I was lucky enough to catch them in Chester and was astounded by their energy, pace and musicianship, so I was pleased when I heard that they’d got the Support gig with the ‘Truth’. The band is headed up by Megan Kane, together with husband Dylan Turner. Alex Bender, Bo Howard, Will Tipton and Eric Safka fill in all the gaps.

They appear on the compact stage at the sound of eight bells, and don’t mess about. Come On in My Kitchen (a Robert Johnson song) is the opener, followed very closely by ‘Make It’ and ‘Glass Eyes Cryin'’ which introduces the good and kind people of Leek to raw Southern Rock in one big hit. Kane use every inch of the compact and bijou stage that Foxlowe offers, which is a neat trick to pull when there are six on the stage, plus a Transit worths load of amps and speakers. This is rock and roll, old style.

Bender, stood to the right of Kane, strikes plenty of poses as he rings everything he can get from his guitar, and as a precursor for what our headliners are about to do, whilst Tipton stands to her left in a much-subdued fashion, from a posing stance, but no less from a guitar perspective as they intersperse with each other. Howard, on Bass, finishes off the frontline with a neat bit of headbanging in a throwback to the real days of rock and roll.

They say good things come in small packages. Kane would suggest that powerful ones do too, as she belts out ‘Good Times Gone Away’ and with barely a breath in-between, launches in to ‘Throwin' Stones’ which has a much harder edge to it, with dirty riffs filling in the gaps between Kane’s venom-soaked lyrics. Turner’s drums pound away, but he’s heard more than seen as he’s decked out in black, playing a black drumkit, surrounded by black curtains with no stage lights able to reach him – but he is definitely there.

By this time, Leek knew exactly what these six were all about and were showing their appreciation in abundance. By now, everyone agreed that whoever chose these as Support for The Damn Truth had made a genius decision.

Kane finally takes a moment to “thank y’all for coming out early to see us” and to tell us how stoked they all were when they got the call to support ‘TDT’, oh, and not forgetting a cheeky plug to visit the at the Merch table in the break – which many did, but with the adverts and platitudes over, she dives back in with the new single ‘The Healer’ from their newly released five-track EP, ‘Hold the Mash’, which brings Safka fully into the game as he drags sounds out of his Korg Electro 6 that shouldn’t really be there, and with a few performance theatrics to go with them.

‘Novocaine’ from the same EP, hit next with a devilish hook that had Festival Tune written all over it and reigned you in and held you tightly whilst the six finished off things nicely with ‘Count Your Dollars’, the first single taken from their debut album ‘Jukebox Gypsies’.

There was a huge roar of approval at the end and Leek had found another favourite to add to the list. A band that no one had really heard of and had no idea of what to expect forty minutes earlier when they walked on stage. They knew now though and were grateful for it. Like I said three paragraphs ago, whoever chose these as Support for The Damn Truth had made a genius decision.

Oh, and if you were wondering. The name, Parker Barrow ? They’re the surnames of… Bonnie and Clyde.

Parker Barrow Setlist

Come On in My Kitchen (Robert Johnson song)
Make It
Glass Eyes Cryin'
Good Times Gone Away
Throwin' Stones
Healer
Novocaine
Count Your Dollars

Parker Barrow are –

Megan Kane – Lead Vocals

Dylan Turner – Drums

Alex Bender – Guitar

Bo Howard – Bass

Will Tipton – Guitar

Eric Safka – Keyboards

The Parker Barrow gallery is at the bottom of the page...

The Damn Truth – Now, where do I start here. If Parker Barrow are just starting their touring lives in the UK, they’ve shacked up with a band that can tell them everything they ever need to know, as The Damn Trust have blessed us with their presence for a few years now, and usually around November time. Their performances are gutsy, all revved up and come with a heavy dose of full-on theatrics. Excess is the order of the day, and the people of Leek love it, as this gig is sold out. A full house. No more space in the barn.

The lights start to dim, and the strains of Jefferson Airplanes ‘White Rabbit’ starts to echo around the room. The crowd begin to get excited, and the volume goes up a couple of notches as they know that this is the cue for the experience to begin.

As the rabbit dies away Traina hits four on the hi-hat as the cue for ‘Be Somebody’ and we’re off. Baum is still milking the adoration that Leek affords her, arms stretched wide, but she hits her cue and starts to belt out the vocals, that has the crowd joining in with her, without any invitation. Leek had been waiting for this and now the time had come it was going to take full advantage of it.

If that hadn’t hit you square between the eyes, ‘Killer Whale’ and ‘Love Outta Luck’ would have got you, no doubt about it. Baum's vocals were bang on point, Shemer had already found a place where he could display all his talent, shapes and moves and Letellier complimented everything he did, but on the other side of the stage, which had a bit more space to it now, with two less personnel and all the amps and speakers removed and back on the van – ‘we’ll take full advantage of the venues sound system, thank you’.

‘The Willow’ is a tune that I didn’t know what to make of the first time I heard it, but it very much grows on you, and wraps around you when it’s played, lulling you into a false sense of security, with heavy drums and solid groove - before ‘This is Who We Are Now’ smashes you out of it, with its no-nonsense attitude. Leek went wild at this, and everyone was firmly nestled in the palm of TDT’s hand – and were staying there for the duration. ‘If I Don’t Make It Home’ demonstrates the bands love for the UK, and ‘Lonely’ with a heavy dose of audience participation leaves you all warm and fuzzy.

‘Only Love’ has the kind of drum solo in it that shows Traina off for all he’s worth and leaves you in no doubt that there are firmly four in the band – such is the blatant showmanship from the front three, but not to be outdone, Shemer took leave from the stage and toured the audience during ‘Look Innocent’, which was a real neat trick to pull as the place was rammed.

A cover of U2’s ‘Love Is Blindness’ started off the encore before and a tremendous ‘Devilish Folk’ with more audience participation, finishes the fabulous experience off in a truly wonderful way.

This is how I finished the review the last time I saw The Damn Truth, twelve months ago. Nothing’s changed, so I‘ll say it again… “The Damn Truth are one of those bands that you have to see. It’s an experience more than just a gig. It’s a roller coaster of feelings and emotions, one where you can forget about how cr*ppy the world is and lose yourself in unbridled, totally enjoyable madness - even if it is only for ninety minutes.”

Until next year then – unless they fancy coming over earlier for festival season – but only as long as they tour fully in November, which is now a hard and fast rule.

The Damn Truth Setlist