A fiercely funky evening with Tower of Power

	Review by Heather Metherell

ON SATURDAY, March 15, I spent two and a half hours standing in London's Astoria, drinking lukewarm beer, and being jostled by a group of giant hippies, while waiting for a band I'd only heard of a week before. I wasn't the only one getting bored, and the venue was heaving with irritable, disgruntled fans, rapidly losing their patience.

When the 10-piece band, Tower of Power, finally wandered onto stage, a buzz ran through the theatre and the excitement of the crowd showed. All was forgiven and it didn't take long to see why.

There aren't many live acts that really blow you away, but Tower of Power is definitely one of them. The precision with which these musicians play is incredible, and, to quote an article from the Hollywood Reporter, their music is 'tighter than a clenched fist', and bursting with energy.

The gig began with the title track of their compilation album, Soul With A Capital S, a fiercely funky track that burst forth with such power you just couldn't stand still, and pretty soon everyone in the place was dancing and cheering.

Lead singer, Brent Carter, has all the qualities of an old-school soul singer; great confidence and presence, and a voice with amazing tone and range. The ease with which he sings is remarkable, carrying a tune over a 10-piece band as if he were having a chat with and old friend.

Tower of Power has been recording for over 30 years, and enjoyed huge success in the Seventies with the tracks You're Still A Young Man and You've Got To Funkifise. Though much of the line up has changed, the message remains the same, and the band are still producing fresh soul music after more than a quarter of a century.

There's something reassuringly unpretentious about Tower of Power, they just seem to love what they do, and do it with incredible finesse. "I got a soul band that makes soul music and I love it," says Emilio Castillo, band founder/leader.

It's also great to see a band whose members have been chosen purely on musical ability, and not on looks and sex appeal. There were some amazing performances, particularly from Castillo on sax, and Roger Smith on keyboards, during the track, Soul Vaccination.

Of the original members, three still remain, including Stephen 'Doc' Kupka, who treated us all by whacking out some dirty bass lines on the baritone sax.

One of the highlights was a mellow moment, as they played a gorgeous, if unoriginal, ballad; Willing to Learn, in which Carter showed off his talent for soulful, heartfelt crooning.

I've never seen an audience enjoy a gig so much, particularly the tracks 'Diggin' on James Brown' and 'What is Hip?' the last track of the evening, in which both Adolfo Acosta, on trumpet, and Mike Bogart, on trombone, amazed their fans with their improvisational skills.

There is no doubt at all that this is a band with real staying power, having already shown incredible longevity. It's said their most dedicated fans travel great distances to see them, and sometimes even plan their holidays around tour dates. With performances like this; it's not hard to see why.

RELATED LINKS: Click here for the Tower of Power website...
Click here to order Soul With A Capital S...