Gary Clark Jr. has been continuously described as an act people simply have to see. His music – renowned for its indescribable demonstration of talent and artistry – has been recognised as one of the great works of this generation. So, to put it lightly, I was overtly eager to see how this would play out live. O2 Kentish Town Forum was to play host to the Texas native and his band of six. It was, in short, everything and more the people said it would be.
Gary Clark Jr.
O2 Kentish Town Forum – 15 October 2024
Words: Monty Sewell
Photography: Ryan Hildrew
Clark Jr.’s latest album release came in the form of JPEG RAW out earlier this year. The record saw some deviance from the musician’s usually blues-rooted music tone, but he brought no less assertive brilliance to every song. Combining elements of traditional African music, blues, rock, jazz, hip-hop and R&B, the album was sure to bring its multi-genre debonair to the evening.
On the night, after a resounding welcoming applause from his audience, as he entered the stage, Clark Jr. started off his set with the same track he had to introduce JGEG RAW, Maktub.
The song has this hefty, intoxicating riff which runs through its entirety. The crowd became whipped into the world of Clark Jr. as he wrapped around his guitar, cool as a damn rocking cucumber.
It was, by all means, a packed-out night with just enough room to begin a feel-good sway as the band continued to introduce the night with When My Train Pulls In, and the title track of said 2024 album. A man of few words (but who needs to say much when their guitar does all the talking needed), Clark Jr. sincerely thanks his audience, husky with heart.
They crack right back into the flow of things with This Is Who We Are, The Healing and Things Are Changin’. The show features Clark Jr.’s own sisters as his backup singers, who add elegantly tied-in harmonies, which lift the show’s reverbed soul into the upper tiers of musical confluence.
We get three more new tracks from JPEG RAW, To the End of the Earth, Alone Together and What About the Children. Clark Jr. keeps the guitars coming thick and fast as his fellow guitarist King Zapata adds succouring licks whilst wearing a knock-out spiked headdress.
Though known as a jaw-gaping guitarist, tonight, Clark Jr. gives just as much awe with his multi-toned vocals. This is a musician who has mastered each of his strengths but projects them onto his audience with such a humbled sense of giving. He is faultless and yet so quietly composed in his talent. It is an authentic evening of music without any unnecessary pomp.
Feed The Babies and Our Love keeps the good times coming as legendary drummer JJ Johnson (John Mayor, Lenny Kravitz, Sugarland and more) keeps the beats smooth and the timing impeccably astute. Those subtle time signature changes come with an unassuming ease and with such class.
The crowd get their well-versed Don’t Owe You A Thang, and even though we are pushing well into the second half of the night, Clark Jr. has an unfailing energy, never stopping for long between each song before signalling his band to launch into the next.
The title track from Clark Jr.’s 2012 album is as smooth as it is emotion-enhancing with a funk twist. A few moments into the set, the lead man put his guitar to the side and took hold of the microphone to give us some crazy high-pitched vocals, bringing more diversity to the already superbly-rounded musician.
On the keys, Dayne Reliford showcases his insane knack for his triple-layered keyboards, switching between ethereal synth tones to chord progressive rhythm holds. You can tell the whole band has an in-tune bond as they jam through song endings, pushing each other higher before getting Clark Jr.’s signal when it’s time to end each glorious takeover.
Bright Lights – the song that brought Clark Jr. quite literally into the limelight – is a triumph amongst both old-time fans and new. Although it may arguably be his most famous song, Clark Jr. wraps things up with a new track, Habits, to remind us that, most popular or not, this man’s whole discography has it all.
As the crowd applauds and the band exits the stage, whether they will return for an encore is unclear. The lights go up, and music techs appear onstage to twiddle with the instruments and seemingly swap some around. A fair share of the audience decided to leave, but after refusing to believe this was the show’s end, our patience was rewarded.
Clark Jr. casually strides back onto the stage and took us into the nether zone where neither time nor reality existed, simply good music. We got Leroy Carr’s cover of In The Evening before Clark Jr.’s own Funk Witch U and Travis Country.
Two and a half hours of Gary Clark Jr. was just not enough. You have to see it to believe it, and I was very happy I got the chance to, with no doubt, I will do so again. Great show with phenomenal musicians. What more could you want?
