Amp Fiddler at Band On The Wall, Manchester review

Callum Burke witnessed a true legend of funk and soul in action in Manchester.

Date published: 16th Mar 2017

As I entered the beautiful Manchester venue Band On The Wall, I was instantly met by soulful beats and chiming guitar rhythms as selected by Andrea Trout. As the music echoed around the bar area, small clusters of people soon turned into a sea of eagerly waiting smiles.

Joseph Anthony Fiddler aka Amp Fiddler is widely considered as one of Detroit’s hottest exports. A talented multi instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer, with some of the finest keyboard skills around. He has played, recorded, produced and written with such legends as Prince, Jamiroquai, George Clinton, Seal, Moodymann, Corinne Bailey Ray and was even the man who taught J Dilla to use his first sampler. His back catalogue boasts a wide variety of funk, disco, soul and even R&B influences. With such a hefty resume, there was understandably a buzz in the air.

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The first thing that caught my attention was the simplicity of Amp Fiddler’s stage set up. Going in to the gig I was expecting a full live band, however he was playing completely solo accompanied by some synths, keyboard and a laptop. Due to the set up, it would be quite easy for a passer by to mistake the show for nothing more than a live DJ set with some live keyboard and vocals. But it was clear by the second song, 'Right Where You Are', that this was a going to be a full on disco affair.

Amp Fiddler was a man of few words, rarely stopping between songs to share anecdotes or interact with the crowd. He stood in the middle of the stage, hidden behind his synthesizers and laptop, glued to the front of the microphone. Despite the lack of conversation and movement, the man absolutely oozed personality all night.

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From the soaring screams, to the sleazy low-end groans, Amp Fiddler refused to miss a single note throughout his entire time on stage. His set was entirely made up from the funkier and faster tunes from his catalogue, and a lot of material from his newest album and remix album; Motor City Booty. Largely, the show felt a lot like a disco-house DJ set, and was welcomed by the crowd with open arms.

What made the night special, aside from seeing a world-class funk and soul pioneer, was the intimacy and the sound in the venue. A special mention is needed for the brilliant venue layout, and most of all the perfect sound.

The absolutely wonderful sound system in Band On The Wall perfectly complimented the intense kick drums that littered the disco-esque tracks, and the howling sci-fi synth sounds that Amp Fiddler used to show off his skill on the keyboard.

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The disco ball was in full swing from first to last track, bouncing a rainbow of lights across a rather sweaty and grinning crowd. Towards the end, Amp Fiddler left the safety of his set up to come into the crowd and shake hands with everyone he could. A small endearing gesture like this, on top of the sub-zero coolness and style that Amp Fiddler has in the bucket load, made it impossible not to love him and everything he did.

As the closing vocals of 'Steppin’' set in to mark the end of the night, it was obvious that everyone in attendance was quite satisfied and definitely all danced out. The whole night was a brilliant showcase of talent that kept a full venue dancing to the very final beat.