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CAM COLE
+ Ruben Reeves
@ Northcote Social, Melbourne,
7th March 2024
(Live Review)

Review and photos  by Michael Gow (@alchemi_glow_music_phot)

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CAM COLE / Photo – @alchemi_glow_music_phot

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Doors opened and the audience came in one by one into the Northcote Social Club. It is a great little venue with a great atmosphere. When we entered, we looked at the stage where two one-man band setups were. One for Ruben Reeves and the other for Cam Cole. Many of us knew of Cam Cole but were unfamiliar with Tasmanian Ruben Reeves. We saw with his setup he had a slide guitar later known to be a custom made Weissenborn slide guitar and then various guitars and a banjo on stage.

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Ruben Reeves / Photo – @alchemi_glow_music_phot

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Ruben appeared on the side of stage with cheers and claps from the audience. He started by cracking some jokes before launching in to his first song called ‘Stealin Sh*t From Woolies’. We felt like we were at a comedy night not a music event but that made the night all that more special as it. He explained what each song was about, and it got many laughs throughout the night. Some songs we heard tonight were yet to be released as studio tracks so we felt special that we could hear these before many others will. He also played songs about bush poo in which he cracked a joke saying that he needed to show Cam Cole how to do a great bush poo. One song is said to have 50 verses because when people see him live, they say about a story that should be added to the song and in the end he put three verses of famous peoples stories.

Throughout his set telling stories and cracking jokes while playing some tunes he will have gained a few more fans tonight due to the nature of his set. His music is very Blues/Roots style, and each song has its own unique story that comes along with it.

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CAM COLE / Photo – @alchemi_glow_music_phot

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Following on from Ruben was tonight’s headliner Cam Cole, a busker turned stage performer from the UK. I first came across him on a viral video on the internet and wondered if one day he would make his way down to Australia. Talking to his manager before the gig he said that it took a lot to get this tour set up and they Cam & his manager were so glad the tour could commence. Judging by the crowd tonight many were glad he could make his way to Melbourne to play in front of his adoring fans. Cam started off with one of his songs which then followed on with a one-man band drum solo which was fantastic to watch. It is amazing to hear Cam Cole live as his live sound makes a band with more than one member seem outdated as the sound was heavy and loud and it was one thing to truly witness.

There were times when Cam interacted with the crowd with such things as “How we doing Melbourne, I’m liking the vibe”. One entertaining moment was when cam played the air drums with his hands while using his kick drum. Being that he was from the other side of the world in the UK he was happy to see his Melbourne fans in person. He said to the audience one of his guitars had been given a name in which the crowd said hello to the guitar followed by a few laughs. It was amazing to see that he has gone from a busker on the streets of Camden in the UK to playing venues on the other side of the world. He played a range of styles of music from Blues to Roots to Rock and Roll and has a great repertoire of music from heavy to ballads which were on show tonight. One track even went from a ballad into a bluesy track which was great to hear. He even played his big hit ‘Mama’ which the crowd absolutely loved hearing in person. Cam has an amazing singing voice, and it really suits his guitar playing. It is a great sight to see that even a one-man band can get people dancing as I witnessed while watching cam throw down tune after tune. Cam said during his performance “Its my job to play tunes for you and it’s your job to get Sh*tfaced, if you’re not already sh*tfaced already go over to the bar.” If his audience continues to grow here in Australia, I could easily see him being a part of the famous Byron Bay Bluesfest which I do hope comes true for him. During a couple of songs Cam stood up and walked over to a separate microphone to perform some songs right in front of his adoring fans. During his set it took a moment to shoutout to Marcus who did everything to organize the tour for Cam to perform for us tonight and we are truly thankful to him that this night is with us.

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CAM COLE / Photo – @alchemi_glow_music_phot

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At one point Cam was playing his kick drum with the accompanying cowbell and all I could think of at the time was Christopher Walken on a skit on SNL where he says, “Needs more cowbell” and while thinking that while hearing cam play, I am all for more cowbell. He talks for a moment to say to the audience “I’ve only been here one week, and it reminds him of home as we have the same kind of banter.” He even showed how relaxed he was performing on stage when he crossed his legs on top of his stool while playing his guitar. Nearing the end of his set it took the opportunity to do a shoey which has become an Aussie tradition on stage in front of the Aussie fans.

Nearing the end of his set he says, “Thank you so much for your time, thank you so much for your attention and thank you so much for your energy” he said he says this at the end of every show since around 8 years ago. As the set was finishing, he said he could play one if not two more songs if the crowd begs for it. And so, with that he played two songs finishing with a Black Sabbath cover.

Tonight’s gig was one for the ages and it was amazing hearing so many great songs from his catalogue including ‘Mama’, ‘Tattoo Rings’ (does not get played much these days) and other songs like ‘So Blues (Delta)’.

If you get a chance to see Cam Cole perform for you and even if it is your first time seeing or hearing him, you will not be disappointed.

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CAM COLE / Photo – @alchemi_glow_music_phot

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Check out Michael Gow’s (@alchemi_glow_music_phot) full gallery of this event HERE

Follow CAM COLE
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Spotify

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CAM COLE / Photo – @alchemi_glow_music_phot

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AMNPLIFY – DB