The Original Wailers, The Elovaters @ The Gov, Adelaide 20/11/2024
There is a photo on the wall in the main band room at The Gov of a pensive looking Bob Marley. It’s been there for as long as I have been going to gigs at The Gov, and that is a long long time. As the crowd rolled into the main room, I noticed how young they were. Many would have only been only born this century. Was that a little smile on Bob’s face as he realizes that his music has spanned generation of fans.
The Elovaters are from Boston U.S.A. and they hit the stage with smiles on their faces, hi-fiving the young people at the front of the stage. Maybe it was this band the youngsters had come to see. Their sound is ska/reggae and they released their debut album in 2017. Roll Up opened proceedings and it was immediately obvious how much fun they have on stage, jumping and running on the spot all evening.
“This is our first time in Australia” commented Jason Wetherbee, singer/guitarist, “All the songs tonight are originals, but you probably have never heard them”. The focus was on tracks from their latest album Endless Summer, with ten of the sixteen tracks played from that album. The songs were short and energetic, no time for solos. At one stage band members left the stage, leaving only Jason and guitarist John Alves to play Gimme Love, the sound moving to Alt Country before moving back into Ska for the second part of the song as the band members came back on stage and rejoined the playing. Sixteen songs in sixty minutes is good value, and this Elovater is definitely on the rise.
The young crowd at the front of the stage didn’t move. They were here for The Original Wailers. The Wailers were here only twelve months ago, almost to the day and still pull a good crowd. They are reggae royalty and Bob Marley may have left us forty three years ago, but his music endures and it is in good hands with Al Anderson and The Original Wailers.
Bathed under green lights, the band walked on stage and the unmistakable reggae sound of Stir It Up began. Al Anderson was there in the Wailers in the 70’s and still with Bob at the time of his passing. It’s Al and his magical guitar playing, keeping this band together.
When Three Little Birds started, the audience took over the vocals and Chet Samuel (vocals) let them go. Could You Be Loved followed with Chet exclaiming “I don’t want to go home” after the song. Al Anderson stayed stage left, mostly in the dark all evening, but he did tell stories about Bob and how “Australia “got” Bob Marley right from the start”.
Is This Love had the phones out, then Chet announced they were “going back to the days of Bob, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. I can pick them because I love them”. Hammer Song and Hypocrite were played with the infectious groove we had come to expect. The band were also not afraid to extend the songs out with some lengthy jams. I Shot the Sheriff got a loud response from the audience before Chet said “the sing-a-long continues with Jammin’”. And jam they did with the song extending all musical boundaries. However, do we really need a ten minute plus bass/drum solo?
Encore started with a beautiful No Woman No Cry, Chet’s voice magnificently channeling Bob’s. Buffalo Soldier followed and yet another ten-minute plus jam which saw many people taking to the exit. A short One Love finished the show.
One cannot fault the playing, passion and dedication of the band in recreating the sounds of Bob Marley.
Live Review By Geoff Jenke