MikePadgett.com

The Lion roared

— Covers bands will always be judged on the quality of their renditions. Fortunately these are sometimes good.”

Cadillac Jukebox @ The Lion, Castleford

The problem with being a covers band is that your audience tends to judge you on the quality of your renditions rather than the quality of your musicianship.

Cadillac Jukebox singer Ian McMullen acknowledges this, but for him the enjoyment comes from being able to play a wide, often surprisingly eclectic repertoire. “I don’t even like playing gigs,” he claims, “I do them for the other guys.”

Despite only playing together since March, the band has developed a distinctive sound, making their renditions personal and occasionally peculiar. McMullen’s sharp, high voice is backed by restrained guitars and fizzy keyboards, with time kept by a remarkably florid display of drumming the likes of which the pub circuit is unlikely to see elsewhere.

The music is drawn from styles as diverse as mod, disco, rock and soul. Such a mixed repertoire means taking the odd risk and not every track worked on the night. So whilst the band never seemed completely at ease with Noughties numbers, the barnstorming turns of Town Called Malice, Foxy Lady, Superstition and Land Of 1000 Dances were terrific highlights.