The Dualers at Robin 2 21/03/14
London based festival favourites, The Dualers, were supported by a Birmingham band, who impressed at The Isle of White Festival last summer. XOVA, is a 6 piece, Indie reggae band, sporting a brass section along with the usual guitars, drums and keyboards. Their influences range from Beatles to Marley, though I feel the dominant pulse is Bob Marley. The band write their own material, that reggae beat coming through strongly, opening with ‘Sticks And Stones’, they certainly have a presence on stage. I have to say, that I do not think the sound set up was helping them much as lyrics were confused here at the Robin, and it may be just possible that the crowd were there to hear The Dualers. That would seem a little unfair, this band are worth the effort. I particularly liked the brass opening of ‘New Revolution’, a good reggae number with a thumping bass. The band finished with ‘Tears’ more bone rattling bass in this fast paced song, I’m sure to cross their path again in the future.
Enter The Dualers, this band are a class act, fronted by a charismatic cheeky chappie, Tyber Cranstoun. Aiding and abetting are a, top hatted Peter Lee on lead guitar, Tom Hindley on rhythm guitar, Jason Gale on bass, Dredy on drums, Enoch on keys, and a fabulous horn section, Tim on sax and Raphael on trombone, sadly absent, the trumpet of Paul Bilson could only have taken us to greater heights. That brass unit fires us off into the intoxicating rhythms of ska and reggae, opening with, ‘Rocking Back To Kingston’. The heaving mass of fans squeezed forward onto the wooden boards moving as one to the sound, goaded and provoked into action by Tyber, no doubt there would be many sore bodies in the morning.
The great ska favourite, ‘Message To You Rudi’, drew us all in, melting smoothly into ‘I’m In A Dancing Mood’, how right they were. All were working up a sweat on the ‘dance’ floor, as The Dualers moved on to the menacing ‘Man Next Door’ before we were asked to ‘Take A Trip’. We could not go through the evening without the song that catapulted this band into the charts in 2005; ‘Kiss On The Lips’ was played with the passion implied, the years have not diminished their début single. How to follow the milestone that heralded this wonderful ska, reggae institution that is The Dualers, it had to be, ‘Monkey Man’, Aye Aye Aye, sodden towel draped across his shoulder, Tyber invites everyone to join in with thesteady rhythmic style of the original Maytals song. A fantastic finish to a dynamic night with the Dualers at the Robin, they will be back, make sure you don’t miss them.
Words & Pictures Graham Munn