The Commoners are a 4 piece roots rock outfit from Toronto, Canada. The boys began their journey into the world of music around a decade ago listening to bands like The Black Crowes, Derek Trucks, Marcus King & The Allman Brothers.
WORDS: Darren McIntyre | PICTURES: Ian Potter
The boys are a real force of nature with their deep blues-filled riffs and powering vocals that really set them apart from the rest, they decided to bring in ‘in his own words ‘the most important member of the band’- Miles Evans – Branagh to fill the void that the Hammond style keys brings to this outfit. I feel privileged to call these boys friends as we have spent so much time together as they navigated their way through the rock n blues world cutting their teeth with various support slots and dual headline slots. The boys dropped their new album Restless on July 5th and to support that new release they are out on the road and tonight they stop off in what I can only describe as one of the best small live venues in Britain in my honest opinion, The Caves is a small intimate, warm and mesmerising venue that just throws its arms around you and just wants you to feel the energy oozing from this colossal venue, the place is rammed to capacity with everyone waiting with baited breathe for the arrival of 5 dudes from Toronto that are gonna give us a night to remember. The lights dim the intro music commences and from the dark shadows of the green room comes the force of nature that is The Commoners, the place erupts in a hail of clapping and hollering as the boys belt out “Hello Edinburgh” as we ready ourselves for this epic night of blues rock ‘n’ roll with a twist. The boys set themselves up and launch into –
Shake You Off – A crunching sludgy guitar riff erupts as this thundering rock n roll juggernaut brings the groove to this fantastic new offering which is just bubbling under the surface. The rhythm section is commanding the room as the boys let themselves go and bring us a real rock n roll bruiser that is ticking all the boxes for sure, the dark, brooding bassline is handing us a real soulful groove that just mixes well with this fast-paced monster track that just follows a thread that the boys have created. The rasping vocals are just building and building as this eruption is destroying everything in its path as the thundering beats let this gig erupt into life, and the crunching riffs are running freely with maximum damage coming at us as this incredible new offering just tells us that these boys are the real deal as we have awesome keys that just wrap themselves around this epic composition as the added bonus of melodic backing vocals really delivers this crunching beast that just keeps building and building, the place is just simmering with joy as the boys smile from ear to ear as the place opens it’s arms and welcomes these 5 young guys in.
Who Are You – A crunching guitar riff kicks in the doors as the sweet keys deliver a mellow tone that really lets this track tell its own story as the boys move through the gears and let this track open and soar. The funking bassline is just incredible as the whole track is wrapped around these phenomenal grooves, the rhythm section is unleashing a cool cymbal/snare drum combo that just lets the tone shimmer through this fist-pumping, toe-tapping rock n roll monster. The vocals are building and building as we feel the rasping tones flow effortlessly through this absolute monster track that instantly grabs your attention as the funkalicious keys make themselves known to us as Miles throws down the gauntlet and brings the funk to this delicious groove-laden number, I will tell you that if you miss these boys you are really missing a trick as they just keep getting better and better with every release they lay before us. The place is hotting up as the boys bring us the new album with a smattering of the last record which really delights this eager crowd.
Devil Teasin Me – Boom, and we’re off, this is a real southern slice of rock n roll with a huge slab of blues thrown in for good measure let me tell you. We have gravelly blues vocals that let this incredible track open up and give us their heart and soul on a plate, we have sludgy bluesy guitar riffs that are wrapped perfectly in killer basslines that drop epic funk grooves all over this foot stomping beast of a track. The rhythm section is giving us pounding snare drum kicks that come armed with bass punches to really take this track to another level for sure, the whole arrangement is a testament to these boys and what they bring to the table with epic keys that really let this track fly and then some. We are punching the air with joy as the boys have picked up where they left off when they left Glasgow with a huge smile on their faces and hearts filled with so much joy as they delight this Edinburgh crowd with their epic rock n roll tales, the boys bring much joy to the evening as they are chatting with the crowd and joking with each other and Chris says that we have some cool venues in the UK and especially The Caves which is just an incredible venue, we stroll into another offering from their new album Restless with –
Body & Soul – The rhythm section is up first as we get a really deep punchy bass drum beat that brings in a solid snare drum kick that gives this track depth. The funking bassline is once again delivering a cool groove that is letting this track deliver a real punch that is just incredible, the rasping guitar riffs are soaring through this killer arrangement as the boys just give it their all in this rocking ballad that is just off the scale good. The vocals are solid and add depth to this incredible track that just comes at us in waves as the cool groove kicks in the doors as Adam lets rip with a real solid beat that is the beating heart of this incredible band, we are getting the best of this phenomenal 5 piece from Toronto, Canada as they just shift through the gears and bring us a slick guitar solo that just delivers big time as we feel the depth, energy and swagger oozing from this epic piece of music. These are the kind of nights that we live for as these boys pull out all the stops to give us a spine-tingling track that really tells us what these boys are all about.
Too Soon To Know You – Kicking it up a notch, comes this blues-laden rocker track that lets the tone loose with incredible keys that just settle us into our stride for sure. The rasping guitar licks are opening this track up as the boys rally around and give it to us straight with no forgiveness as we feel the bassline drop in and hit us with epic grooves that wrap themselves around this oozing monster, the vocals are just raising the roof with their depth, tone and downright gritty velvet notes that allow this track to take us on the journey with the boys as we get into this snare driven beast that brings in a solid bass kick that lets this track soar. The boys are on fire as they cut loose and let their musicianship drive this juggernaut right through us with its intense blues-filled rock ‘n’ roll themed tracks that just get better and better. As I said at the start of my review, I call these boys friends and asked them before the show would we be getting any surprises tonight and boy did they deliver, this is a show like no other as they just get better and better each time we see them, we roll into the title track now:
Restless – Acoustic strumming chords make themselves known as this country-filled blues rocker comes at us with a real soulful vocal that just instantly puts us at ease. The slick crisp musicianship oozes quality as the boys kick it up a notch with this real sludgy groove-filled rocker track that lets us know what these boys are all about, we have a full-on bassline wrapping itself around this epic arrangement that is sending out all the right notes as we have a punchy rhythm section that is handing us solid snare drum beats that really let this track breathe. The slick, clean guitar licks deliver a well-thought-out melodic rumbling that just takes us to another place as we feel the epic vocals of Chris as he powers through this killer number with ease as the boys bring us a real country, blues affair that just ticks all the boxes.
See You Again – The track unfolds with sweet, melodic acoustic strumming chords that set the scene as we feel the emotion pouring from this highly personal piece of music. Chris comes in and delivers a real soulful, gravelly blues-infused vocal tone that just allows this track to breathe, the rhythm section is hitting us with solid snare drum beats that lets the cool Hammond-style keys tell their own story as they instantly lift this track to another level with their soulful blues feel that just gives us goosebumps. The boys are back and firing on all cylinders with this epic composition that brings a real deep country, blues eruption that just flows effortlessly through this fantastic track, the backing vocals are incredible as Ben, Miles really leave their mark on this personal piece of music.
Deadlines – This is a real groover track that begins with Miles hitting us with his killer keys to really let us get in the mood. The funk groove keeps coming as the rhythm section gives us snare drum punches that let this funky groover 70’s style track open and soar, we are getting killer riffs that just flow freely through the track and let Chris tell his story and give us a real soulful tone that just wraps itself around this gritty beast that has it all, tempo, groove killer lyrics and a phenomenal rhythm section that is controlling this awesome show from the back of the room. The tempo changes and we get a pounding rhythm hitting us with all it has as Adam builds and builds with killer beats and cymbal crashes that really give this track real depth, we are just standing here in awe of these boys and what they are bringing tonight.
The Way I Am – Kicking in the doors from the off comes a sizzling Hammond style keys that are wrapped in a power drenched rhythm section that allows this track the room it needs to grow. The soaring blues rocker vocals really bring the heat as the boys pick up where they left off with a real foot stomping, blues laden rock n roll track that just ticks all the boxes with it’s gritty groove laden beat that is just phenomenal. The boys are firing on all cylinders for sure as this soulful blues laden beast just takes us way back to the first time we saw these boys and thought how good are this unit. The crunching snare drum punches let the rhythm section drive this juggernaut onwards as the soulful keys instantly puts us at ease for sure, the 5 piece is just getting better and better with their foot stomping, fist pumping groove that just wants to make you get up and shake your booty and then some. We are tearing through this incredible set that has given us everything we wanted and more from these 5 dudes from across the pond as we come to a real personal track.
Gone Without Warning – A slick clean bluesy guitar lick comes at us at a rate of noughts as this foot-stomping rock n roll juggernaut crashes right into us. The killer rhythm section commands the room with a punchy snare drum beat that has deep bass kicks that let this rocking blues eruption tell it like it is, the fast-paced fist pumping track brings us soulful vocals that take this track to another level as the boys return to normal service with this fantastic Hammond tinges blues affair as we let the groove wrap itself around us as a slick, clean guitar lick oozes towards us as the boys just kick in the doors and bring us a rasping, foot stomping, groove laden monster track that wets or appetites for their impending return to the UK later this year. We stroll back into the boy’s last offering with a couple of bangers.
Fill My Cup – A shredding power riffed intro gets this bad boy on the move as killer keys flow effortlessly through the intro as soulful bluesy vocals deliver big time. The rhythm section is coming at us with solid snare drum punches that bring bass kicks that accompany us with cymbal crashes that just set this track on fire. Bass grooves are handing us sweet deep plundering grooves that just wrap themselves around this colossal slab of pure blues rock that just seperates the men from the boys as we are taken on a journey as the boys really give us all they have as slick clean guitar licks are pouring into this epic arrangement as the glossy riffs and astounding melodies really take us to another place for sure. We have sensational backing vocals that really set this track apart right now as we really dig this impressive groove and husky gravelly vocals that are bringing this track kicking and screaming towards us. We come to the last track or so we think as the boys finish us off with the title track from their last offering that has just sealed the deal for us tonight right here in Auld Reekie, the boys come together to hit us with…
Find A Better Way – A real bluesy gritty rocking riff pours through the intro as slick cool Hammond-style keys linger and let this track open and flow. Gravelly soulful vocals come through and just electrify this cool punchy blues rocker track as we get cool shredding chords that work well with a deep plundering bass groove that is just exceptional as they deliver this funk-laden beast with ease. Snare drum punches fill the air as the bass kicks combine well with cymbal crashes that drive this blues juggernaut forward and let this colossal slab of blues rock kick in the doors and let the groove flow. Awesome bluesy keys are spilling into this fantastic arrangement as killer backing vocals really lift this rasping beast as it builds and builds with ease as this fantastic track brings the swagger and sass that lets us know that these boys are here and here to stay. As the place erupts in a wall of applause and hollering we think the boys are done – no Chris returns with his acoustic guitar as the boys wait in the wings as he begins to tell a story that is resonating with me as I am on a journey just like the track stated. I must admit I was pretty choked up and emotional as Chris dedicated the song to myself as he knows my personal story and let me tell you this was monumental for sure.
All That We Have – Chris chats to the crowd and tells us about this very personal track that really hits home for me as it was a dedication that just felt right tonight. Chris strums lightly on his acoustic guitar as he lets his incredible vocals lead this track in a tribute to all those who are going through a real tough time, the place is silent as we feel the emotion pouring from the stage as we just drift off with Chris as he lets the lyrics flow through every single person in The Caves tonight as we stand motionless and really don’t want the night to end as this highly personal and touching track let us leave tonight with our hearts full of hope.
