Hanni El-Khatib

supporting The Specials

Sunday the 28th of August 2011



 Describe in a tweet: LA-based doowop/blues singer-songwriter lacks substance and songs to sustain Billiards' momentum.



What happened: With anticipation very much in the air for The Specials later, LA bluesman Hanni El-Khatib takes to the stage, meekly declaring "we're going to play some songs". Well, you would kind of hope so, wouldn't you? Sadly, though, wielding a delectable, baby-blue Fender Jagstang and shadowed by a faceless "snare-cymbal" sort of drummer, El-Khatib lethargically works his way through songs from his otherwise impressive 2011 debut album, Will The Guns Come Out - and it would seem the crowd are still very much stung by the Pocket Billiards' uptempo knack to cede to the hooklessness of his sluggish and suddenly formless blues.



That said, it's undeniable El-Khatib possesses some real songwriter prowess. With its consistent, hip-relenting beat, the likes of 'Build. Destroy. Rebuild.' prove just that, whilst his slower, more doowop orientated ventures gain the approval of the crowd much more than his stuttering, start/stop blues. In all, despite his obvious skillz to pay the billz, El-Khatib receives little more than pin-drop applause throughout the entirety of his set, indicating that not only should he have probably performed first, if he did there would have been a priceless opportunity to make a few new fans. Alas, it's a groggy set punctuated with defeatist reminders that the Specials await and a frustrating case of waiting for a riff that never quite comes.



Enjoy Yourself: Some moments suggest The Black Keys on diazepam. But I'm still not sure if that's a good thing.



You're Wondering Now: The transition from the Pocket Billiards' joyous onslaught to El-Khatib's plodding dirges proves more than a little frustrating.



Rating: 5/10