Live review: James Sebastian at Exeter Cavern
Ryan Gerrett, International Editor, reviews James Sebastian’s gig at Exeter Cavern.
Don’t call it a comeback, James Sebastian is giving life to rock and roll at Cavern! On Monday the 26th of September, I went to Exeter’s Cavern to witness The Issues alongside their warm-up acts: James Sebastian and Poppyshow. However, with the high-energy performances offered by the “warm-up” acts, it got me thinking: these guys are just as deserving of their own reviews. So that’s exactly what I set out to do!
Sporting some fancy flares, James Sebastian broke out into his first song, a cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock and Roll’, with a distinctive energetic rasp.
Unhindered by any shirt, the self-confessed (although secret) Harry Styles fan-boy takes inspiration from a host of 60’s rockstars ranging from Jimi Hendrix to The Rolling Stones, wanting to bring his audience a taste of “the new rock n roll”.
Of course, this Salisbury-born Exeter grad couldn’t have put his best foot forward without the help of his excellent ensemble. Hopefully, if medical student Dim Nasiakos can handle a scalpal with as much ease as he can a guitar, his future patients won’t have a thing to worry about. Likewise, fellow Greek and Drummer, Jordan Howard-Smith, agrees with the guitarist that we just need to “relive the 60s”. Naturally, nothing fits quite right if the bass isn’t on point and Alex Evans’ delivery couldn’t be matched during their cover performances of Cream and Fleetwood Mac.
Hopefully, if medical student Dim Nasiakos can handle a scalpal with as much ease as he can a guitar, his future patients won’t have a thing to worry about
Having seen James on his tour of the south coast this summer, I was disappointed his original material did not take centre stage this time. Nevertheless, all of James’ songs are available on his Spotify ranging from hard-hitting bangers like ‘Shipwrecked Soul’ to smoother, more gentle tunes like ‘Lemon Sunshine’. This collection is also soon to grow with the addition of newly recorded music…
To say James Sebastian’s performance hit the right chords is an understatement and I would thoroughly urge anyone who hasn’t already seen this showman of new rock and roll to fix that as soon as they can! Despite upcoming gigs in various places, you won’t have to wait too long to watch him as James Sebastian’s next gig at Cavern will be on the 10th of October.
To keep up to date with any new gigs, follow James on Instagram @jamessebmusic.
