Almanac Music: Key Grip play ‘The Wheaty’ (and the Barossa) – updated!

 

 

Canberra’s premier blues and soul group ‘Key Grip’ are in town and about to play at a popular Adelaide pub for live entertainment, ‘The Wheatsheaf’.

They’re staying at another suburban hotel and on arrival at ‘The Wheaty’, spill out of a Kia Carnival, loaded also with a drum set, 2 keyboards, tenor sax and a bass guitar. Everyone pitches in to donkey the equipment to a small stage, glittering with fairy lights.

‘Key Grip’ founder and keyboard player Leo Joseph is clearly on edge. Besides music, Leo’s abiding passion in life is Australian birds and by day (Dr) Leo works as an ornithologist and evolutionary biologist. He is Director of the CSIRO Australian National Wildlife Collection in Canberra and has lived and worked in Uruguay and the USA.

But here and now this very fine musician is well away from standing in the bush and listening to bird calls. He is the organiser, a perfectionist and wants to have all the gear set up and ready for a sound check quickly. He is fussing over Key Grip vocalist Angela Lount.

Angie is looking a little off colour. They’ve already played a gig the evening before and she hasn’t slept well. There’s Covid and the flu lurking around and Angie is their diva. A born and bred Canberran, her mother is from Tonga and her father’s family has Scottish origins. She caught the singing bug early and was a leading light in her high school choir which toured Europe.

“We’ve got to get some food and water into her,” Leo says to me, although to be honest he is looking rather pale too and in need of some TLC.

Drummer Mitch Preston is cool. He’s the pro having moved from hometown Grafton (NSW) to Newcastle and then Sydney and has played in a myriad of bands and at a lot of festivals.  He has toured with Eugene Hideaway Bridges and is the go-to drummer for Fred Smith, an inspirational Australian diplomat and singer/songwriter. Mitch is a walking encyclopaedia on the history of blues music, World War II aviation, and the history of 20th century global conflicts. He has a dry wit and is starting to relax the crew with his jokes and stories.

However, bass guitarist Alec Coulson isn’t helping things. He has left his shoes back at their base.  “You’ll be okay in your thongs,” everyone says. “You’re at the back of the group so no-one will see your feet anyway.”

Alec insists on collecting his shoes and off he goes. When he returns with a pair of bright blue sneakers on, he whispers to me that he had left some other more important musical stuff back there too. Stuff which he needed more than shoes. Alec’s done some lengthy stints on cruise ships.

South Australian born and local, saxophonist Lauren Thurlow is pretty cool and well-organised. She’s already darted across the road to a Thai restaurant to get their menu. The group is divided between ordering Thai or using the Sri Lankan pop-up van outside the pub.

Loz studied at Barossa Valley’s Faith Lutheran College where she was greatly influenced by their excellent music program. She graduated from the Adelaide University Conservatorium of Music with a music degree in Jazz Saxophone. She also plays clarinet and piano. Loz has played on Caribbean cruise ships, with the Army band, and now in numerous Canberran groups including ‘This Way Orkestra’, ‘Run Like Hell’ (a Pink Floyd tribute band), the ‘UtterGutter Serenaders’, and sometimes with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. ‘Run Like Hell’ are about to take their sold-out show to wider NSW.

With a few drinks supplied by their host pub, the group take to the stage to do a soundcheck. It takes them a few minutes but it’s good.

The group sit about chatting and eating. I’m interested in Tonga and Angie tells me how Tongans like to sing. Tonga is largely churched and she adds that in the rare case a Tongan can’t sing in tune, they are drowned out by the rest. Angie doesn’t have this problem. She is an amazing singer.

People begin filing into the venue. Peter Crossing is there, and Loz brings him over to me. Peter is a Key Grip fan and wrote about the group when they played at Goolwa’s Murray Delta Juke Joint in 2022. I was surprised to find Peter’s article in of all places this Footy Almanac. Check it out through the link below. Peter introduces my wife Marley and me to his delightful group.

 At 7pm ‘Key Grip’ comes on stage.

And it is magical. They were born for this. They laugh and chip each other. They are tight. Well-rehearsed. Confident. They clearly love what they’re doing. And the crowd loves it too. (In the clip below the band starts playing just after the 7.00-minute mark.)

 

 

And now here’s the rest of Key Grip’s performance at ‘The Wheaty’:

 

 

Largely because Lauren is a local here in the Barossa, Key Grip put on a free concert yesterday at the picturesque Lambert Estate Winery in Angaston. 150 turned up to enjoy this and I’ve added a few pix.

 

 

 

If you get the chance, get to a ‘Key Grip’ gig.

 

 

All images courtesy of Andy Thurlow.

 

To read Peter Crossing’s earlier post about Key Grip click HERE.

 

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?

And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE.