Gabby Young and Other Animals.

27 Nov 2010 by Sarah

I’ll admit my shortcomings when reviewing an occasion such as tonight. I’m a rock sort of girl. With the exception of Madonna and Buddy Holly, all my musical influences from my infancy girl crush on Courtney Love to my fully grown, really should know better present day obsession with My Chemical Romance, have always been rock. But Gabby Young and Other Animals are a strangely intriguing concept, and one I felt Debased would be so at home with featuring, I was compelled to attend this rather intimate gig at the Barnsley Civic.

Gabby’s front woman slash songstress slash quirky vintage circus queen reputation is instantly visible as the band begin, and Ms Young appears, complete with pillar box hair and a polka dot umbrella. The musicians supporting her consist of a three piece brass ensemble, drummer and acoustic guitarist. As I accustom myself to the lack of power chords I’m used to hearing at gigs, there is one slightly nagging issue in the back of my mind. “Where’s the bass?” I ask the person sitting beside me who replies with a look of disgusted incredulity, “It’s on the tuba”. With a cautious nod, I settle back in my seat, just in time for my neighbour to inform me that “It’s the large brass instrument on the left”. Stifling my amusement I surrender to the sounds emanating from the stage area.

Described by Gabby herself as “Circus Swing” , the most notable aspect of their performance is their obvious competence and love for what they do. From the fast tempo numbers that have audience members literally standing up and stomping, to the soft acoustic sound of an intriguing cover of "Like A Virgin", the band are note perfect, and Gabby's voice delivers multicoloured tones of loveliness throughout.

Compared to the almost obligatory press teams present at many gigs, you know the ones, they harass you whilst watching a band, try to get you to leave your email address and offer you a stellar deal on the band’s cds, Gabby Young and Other Animals, refreshingly, have none such activities. Instead, there is a simple stand with t-shirts, cds and posters for sale. It’s obvious that you’d be hard pushed to find a more amicable and polite group of musicians, as the audience queue up patiently to buy posters and Cds, which Gabby readily signs with genuine enthusiasm.

If you're lucky enough to witness this ensemble,you’ll be guaranteed to be humming their encores for at least four days after the show. There is clearly no reason why Gabby Young should not achieve the huge success her voice promises. If you get a chance to see this band, catch them before they’re huge. Just to say you have.

And to hear more, please visit www.gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com