And Jimmy Webb begat three sons, Christiaan, Justin and James, and they did appear at Whelans on Wexford Street on Saturday night, and lo, it was pretty cool indeed. Being the offspring of a legendary songwriter can be a heavy burden indeed, but the Webb Brothers carried it off with ease, performing acoustic versions of songs from their excellent debut album, Maroon, and tossing in the odd Wilco tune or country-flavoured ballad along the way.
With Christiaan on keyboards, Justin on guitar, James on bass, and all three doing Beach Boys' harmonies, the Webb Brothers make a nice, self-contained musical unit, moving delicately through The Liar's Club, Fluorescent Lights, I've Got A Feeling and All The Cocaine In The World. Sometimes it felt a little too subdued for a Saturday night, and you longed for a splash of psychedelic rock 'n' roll to keep things rolling.
Happily, the sons of Jimmy have songwriting in their genes, and tunes like Iris, I've Got A Feeling, Winter Time and Low Grade Fever don't need a big back-up to support them. They rocked out with a raucous rendition of In A Fashion, complete with beatbox and "great-uncle Bernard" on electric guitar. Later, Christiaan delivered the down 'n' dirty Hot Freaks, but things ended on a quiet note with Sleep If You Can. Can't wait to see them again, this time with a full band.
