Cooper's
Tent Applause
Gig review by Dawn / Photo (Nov 2004) by Dawn
"Stockton-on-Tees is a really difficult place
to find," declares Jack Cooper midway through
his set at the town's yearly Riverside Festival. "We got lost,
but we made it eventually." And for that the small but appreciative
audience gathered in the tent in Trinity Gardens are exceedingly
grateful.
Acoustic guitar in hand, the slightly nervous-looking
boy from Blackpool takes to the stage alongside friend and keyboardist
Gareth and the pair open with the instantly compelling Will
You Not? before the latter exits, leaving Jack to dazzle the
crowd with the ease with which his fingers nimbly flash up and down
the neck of his guitar during On the Run. Along with third
track Jack Frost, it's reminiscent of a slightly more upbeat
Tom McRae, and Cooper's catchy choruses and delicious vocals are
equally as appealing as those on the Suffolk singer-songwriter's
eponymous debut album.
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And just when you think the songs can't possibly get any
more irresistible, Gareth reappears at the keyboard for the duo to perform
the utterly brilliant Devonshire Squares complete with its superb
singalong chorus about somewhat inadequate record shops.
Equally charming are the two tracks Jack performs from
his debut EP; Sleepsleepsleep is another gorgeous acoustic number
while title track Turn the Light Off sees Jack take to a second
keyboard beside Gareth for another spellbinding duet before the pair conclude
with the gloriously melodic She Sells Sea Shells.
Clichéd as other reviews' constant references to
his hometown's annual illuminations may be, they are also thoroughly justified;
with such a lustrous collection of songs, Jack Cooper's future is certainly
looking very bright indeed.
Many thanks to Jack and Paul.
Visit www.myspace.com/BeepSeals
for Jack's current musical incarnation.
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Jack
Cooper | Stockton Riverside Festival / Trinity Gardens | 01/08/04
