All I ever wanted was a reason to be happy, Happiness can be so hard to find.

Friday 23 October - In the mid-eighties, New Orleaner Tony Green and tea chest bass player Dennis Johnson collided at London's Covent Garden to form the core of busking band, the Gutter Brothers. They toured with the likes of Jools Holland and Dr Feelgood, and signed with Elvis Costello's Demon Records. The band split in 1993 and Dennis died in 2002. Since then the band has played the occasional one-off show and recently embarked on something of a mini-tour, culminating (for us at least) tonight at The Duchess. Given that they were billed as a skiffle band I was somewhat relieved to see a wash-board onstage, although unsure as quite what to expect musically.

Support tonight was billed as Tom Cawte and guitarist Dave Thornley, both of Babe Shadow, who performed an acoustic set, presumably of Babe Shadow material. They both played and sang competently, although I didn't recognise any of their material. It was a kind of rocked up folk. If I had to pigeon-hole them, they would probably get filed next to Noah & the Whale.

Anyway, on to the headline act, Gutter Brothers, who were joined on-stage by one of the Babe Shadows, who played guitar and harmonium (a keyboard instrument where sound is produced by air, supplied by hand-operated bellows). I think bass player was Steve Turner, and he played electric bass guitar as well as an electric upright bass. The rest of the band consisted of Tony Green (vocals and washboard), Chris Cawte (guitar), and Jeff Walker (on drums). Musically they played a mixture of heavy be-bop, hi-energy skiffle, R&B, and quite rocky material. The former seemed to stem mainly from their early stuff, principally drawn from their first album Isometric Boogie. The rockier stuff I think comes from their later albums, and in particular, the 2008 album El Krusho. Highlights for me where the tracks; Everlasting Shining Peace of Mind, and Stand Up, Little Jesus. Tony was a real performer. I really didn't have a clue what this band would sound like, but I'm pleased I turned out. They were brilliant and I highly recommend seeing them.