The Damn Truth Takes Norwich Waterfront By Storm!

Montreal rockers The Damn Truth took Norwich’s Waterfront Studio by storm on 12 November with their unique form of catchy and upbeat psychedelic Rock’ N’ Roll. 

Playing the supporting role was Parker Barrow, who took to the stage first to open the night. The Nashville based group came in strong, with boundless energy from start to finish; the crowd received Parker Barrow well, with many enjoying bopping and tapping along to the enjoyable rhythms and Megan Kane’s powerful vocals. The incredibly talented Parker Barrow are: Megan Kane (Vocals), Dylan Turner (Drums), Alex Bender (Guitar and musical director), Will Tipton (Guitar), Bo Howard (Bass) and Eric Safka (Keys). The band engaged with the audience closely throughout, affirming just how excited they were to be playing live in front of UK crowds. They played a selection of some of their better known tracks, including; “Make It” which was the set opener, “Good Times Gone Away” and “Count Your Dollars”. The band were visibly emotional as they thanked the crowd before leaving the stage; understandably so, as they were made to feel very welcome and looked more than at home on the Waterfront Studio stage. We weren’t familiar with Parker Barrow before this set, but it was great to discover another talent, and we’re sure many in the audience will have shared this view.

The Damn Truth took the stage shortly after Parker Barrow’s set, building up a brilliantly fitting atmosphere by walking out to the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit”. The band were interactive from the outset, waving to the fans and in turn receiving a very warm welcome from the cheering, clapping and whistling crowd. The set opener “Be Somebody” resulted in many in the room excitedly breaking out their phones to record and photograph the moment, and we absolutely loved how the band, and in particular bassist PY Letellier, kept posing for the photographers as they played. Lee Baum’s vocals were intense and passionate, we could literally feel them echoing throughout the room.

The Damn Truth played a mixture of their back catalogue and newer work from their brand new self-titled album “The Damn Truth”. Some of the popular tracks played included “This Is Who We Are Now” which saw the crowd singing along and fist-pumping, followed up by “All Night Long” which received an equally energetic reaction from a bouncing audience which we just loved to see – the fans in attendance absolutely ate up the addictive beats and catchy choruses. At one point, guitarist Tom Shemer threatened to jump in with the crowd, but was sadly stopped by the barricade – still, it was fun to observe such levels of interactivity between the band and their fans. There were also plenty of drums, bass and guitar solos through out the set, which were absolutely on-point with the psychedelic theme of the evening. Baum proceeded to introduce the band to the crowd one-by-one, with each member’s name being happily cheered and celebrated. Once every member was properly introduced, Baum gave a heart-felt message to the crowd: “Every time we come to the UK, it feels like we’re coming home!”; the crowd absolute loved this kind gesture, as they pointed to the stage while the band started playing “If I Don’t Make It Home” – a track from their newest album. Next up was the super upbeat track “I Just Gotta Let You Know” which even we couldn’t help but lose ourselves in the moment of. 

The atmosphere in the room throughout was a blend of sweat and pure energy, as the crowd moved, swayed, clapped and danced to each and every track. We absolutely had a blast watching The Damn Truth for the very first time! Another feel good yet slightly heavier track was “Only Love” which featured a comprehensive drum solo (we love a drum solo just as much as we love a guitar solo!). This was clearly a high point for many in the audience, who were just as appreciative as we were of the technical prowess on display, especially when the drums were followed up with guitar, bass and vocals. It was an absolutely beautiful moment when Baum got the crowd to sing “Hey, hey, hey!” back to the band, and the whole room vibrated with everyones voices and claps. Baum proceeded to sing back the commanding question “Can you hear me?” with the crowd enthusiastically responding “Yeah!”. After this crowd interaction the set went straight back to full steam ahead with everyone in the room freshly hyped up. 

Before playing “Get With You”, Baum gave us an insight into how The Damn Truth was formed, explaining that years ago, she was at a hippie festival sitting by the fire one evening, wearing nothing but her acoustic guitar. An important detail was that everyone else at the festival was also not wearing anything and that it wasn’t just her! Baum had casually begun playing some songs before a man (she points at Shemer, we think) spontaneously came and sat next to her before they played guitars together for hours – at the end of that day deciding to form a band together, The Damn Truth – “Now that was how another Rock’ N’ Roll band was formed!”. Halfway through “Get With You”, Shemer finally managed to make his way into the crowd to walk amongst the fans while playing his guitar; an exciting moment for many, with some fans taking photos, filming or just soaking up the atmosphere and unexpected interaction. This is something that we love seeing, but is best accomplished within more intimate venues like the Waterfront Studio. As the show drew to a close, the band informed the audience that their latest album “The Damn Truth” had been nominated for rock album of the year in Canada –  a momentous occasion for the group. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for them this time round, as they lost out to, as it was delicately put, “The Voice guy”. A cry of “Rock’ N’ Roll isn’t dead” rallied the crowd, before Baum thanked them all for all the love that they have received, for coming to their show and for how much it means to the whole band. The band then went on to play their encore which was; “Love Is Blindness” a U2 cover, and “Devilish Folk”.

As we mentioned before, this was our first time watching and listening to The Damn Truth. We think that The Waterfront Studio was the perfect venue for a show like this, as it provided such an intimate setting for this super high energy and catchy rock and roll vibe, which allowed for amazing crowd and band interactions too. So if psychedelic Rock’ N’ Roll is your thing and you’d like to catch The Damn Truth on the road, then you can as their next stops are: Leek, Manchester, Sheffield, Galashiels, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Bedford, London, Bridgwater and Cardiff. The Damn Truth are: Lee-la Baum (vocals, guitar), Tom Shemer (guitar), PY Letellier (bass) and Dave Traina (drums).

Get tickets from:  https://www.thegigcartel.com/Artists-profiles/The-Damn-Truth.htm