Concert by Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls, a London trio of blues, skiffle and rockabilly with a vaudeville twist, plus support acts.
JO Carley and the Old Dry Skulls play The Grace on Thursday 29 October, with Vince Ray and Juke opening the bill. It's a London trio playing blues, skiffle, calypso and rockabilly with a creepy vaudeville twist, and they draw on early vaudeville blues acts like Victoria Spivey, Cab Calloway and Wilmoth Houdini, with theatrical echoes of Dr John and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. If those names ring a bell, you've got a good idea of the territory they cover: old-school roots music played with a bit of a wink and a dark edge.
On stage, Jo Carley handles lead vocals, washboard, mandolin and fiddle. Her husband and songwriting partner, Tim Carley, plays archtop guitar, kick drum and rattling shoe, and Stephane Spitz takes on baritone saxophone and double bass. It's a multi-instrumental setup, with the washboard and rattling shoe sitting alongside the saxophone and double bass, so the sound shifts across those different styles throughout the set.
They describe themselves as a DIY band, and that's a fair summary of how they work. Back in 2013, they left the rat race and settled in a beach bungalow on the East Coast of England, where they set up their own studio, The Voodoo Shack. From there they've played the Upton Blues Festival and the Azkenna Festival in Spain, and shared bills with Rev. Horton Heat, Demented Are Go and The Meteors.
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Doors open at 19:00 at The Grace, 20-22 Highbury Corner, London N5 1RD, and the night is expected to finish around 23:00. General admission standing is £18.00, which includes the booking fee on a £16.00 face value.
