Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There must be something in the Merseyside air that draws James Styring back to Liverpool and away from his home in Lincolnshire. The smell of the past, the passion that still seeps out of every pore, every venue and the recapturing of the excitement that gave Liverpool the right to say with pride that it was and always will be the capital of culture, for James Styring and his band Sons Of Jet, that passion is something they capture with their music and the that long loved sound that is forever entwined in the Liverpool air, transfers easily to the flat country fields of Lincolnshire.
As part of the International Pop Overthrow taking place in The Cavern Club, James Styring, Martin J. Brown, George Duffy and Neil leak immediately looked so at home in the front stage that you would be forgiven for thinking they were only a short step away from having a couch, drinks cabinet and large screen television delivered from truly being safely giving a performance from inside one of the band member’s living room. Such was the power that the band gave in the tight corner that houses the front stage inside The Cavern that James Styring looked and sounded every inch the part of a man capturing the essence of the swinging sixties popular tunes. The band themselves being immersed into the very culture of the time and for what it was worth, it sounded great.
As a music fan watching new bands at a huge event, you might find only the barest time possible to take in the abundant wealth on offer, it is not a shameful admission, for there is only so many hours in the day in which to really sit down and take so many acts but for anyone catching Sons Of Jet, the outpouring of cheering should be taken to venue owners as a vote very much in favour of having them come back to Liverpool and having a much longer set in which to thrill a crowd.
Tracks such as the opener Sailing Ships, the very groovy Broken Record, the Stuart Sutcliffe photograph inspired We Cut Our Hair, My Tears For You and the excellent When Will I Be Loved all more than suggested to those seemingly fighting for a brief glimpse of the band from Lincolnshire that what they had heard was not just an ode to Liverpool’s pop past but also something incredibly special.
Lincolnshire is quite a way to go for a night out but surely the Sons Of Jet are worth travelling many miles to see live. An auspicious night in which to fall in love with a great band!
Ian D. Hall