At a glance it would seem there’s not much separating duo Dolomite Minor from similar blues rock bands such as The White Stripes or The Black Keys. However, Joe Grimshaw (Guitar/Vocals) and Max Palmier (Drums) seem to have tapped into that magical well of talent, which grants them their own gloriously full live sound while still maintaining the minimum amount of members needed for a fully functioning band.
As the band begin setting up on stage and the smoke machine begins to cough into life, it’s painstakingly obvious that the crowd is relatively small compared to that of the support acts on previously. Deterred none the less, the duo launch into their first song Girl of Gold, showcasing the impressive riff driven antics of Joe on guitar. As the song progresses the room slowly starts to fill up, as people throw down their burned out cigarette butts and rush in from outside. As the song finishes the crowd is back and the cramped basement is finally starting to feel like a venue again.
Unfortunately, the venue is not packed. So instead of wild moshing and a sea of bouncing people, we have a mildly dispersed audience vaguely dancing and nodding their heads in time. However, single Talk like an Aztec gets one of the best responses of the night as the heavy hitting chorus showcases drummer Max’s brutal ability behind a kit, not too dissimilar from rock and roll power-house Dave Grohl. At this point any sweaty head bangers at the gig step up their game, to the extent where the likelihood of a ruptured spine has become an increased possibility.
As Dolomite Minor deliver an explosive set they keep the chatter on stage to an absolute minimum, going from song to song without stopping for a breath and opting for an awkward silence during instrument changes. This isn’t helped by singer/guitarist Joe’s completely deadpan face, slightly akin to that of a recently deceased corpse, and his complete refusal to have any fun on stage.
As the night winds down to an end, Joe engages with the crowd for the only time that night introducing their last song and crowd favourite Let Me Go. “We’re gonna leave you with a song called Let Me Go” he mutters, “…thanks for coming out”. Despite sounding entirely disinterested, the song’s massive riff wins over the crowd immediately and almost everyone is tapping their feet in approval. The band play an extended version of the song with the riff played in half-time towards the end, which further adds to the onslaught of heaviness. As soon as they’re finished and the audience is drowning in a sea of feedback, the two promptly exit the stage leaving as quickly as they can without tripping over their guitar cables.
Dolomite Minor without a doubt have the songs to put on a great show, but until they learn to increase their stage presence, the ultimate goal of winning over the crowd may be just a little while away yet.
By Matt Austin.
