Temporarily sidelining ex-missus Meg of the White Stripes, Jack White’s ‘other’ project continues to flourish. America’s new ‘super group’ The Raconteurs threw down the gauntlet to their peers at the Apollo in Manchester. Right now, there’s no-one to challenge them. A chock-a-bloc Apollo witnessed the blockbusting band pull out all the stops in a magnificent set of classic 70s style rock, with White dropping the Stripes’ childlike aesthetic for a more mature sound. If anything, White and co are going in the Led Zep direction. Their relatively short set of just over 60 minutes, included all their debut album tracks bar one, plus three newies, 5 On The 5, Christian Life and Bang Bang, showing there’s much more in their songwriting arsenal. In truth, it’s Jack we were here to see. Without him, there would be no Raconteurs. Nevertheless, for a man with such a reputation with the White Stripes, there was no attempt to hog the limelight, though he did having his odd showboating moments as he fronted the stage for Yellow Sun. For the most part, he was happy to blend in with his new-found band mates, he proved a worthy team player. A three song encore brought, “Thanks for having us Manchester, it’s good to see you again, those of you I can see…” followed by Intimate Secretary, Steady As She Goes, which predictably raised the roof, and, cementing a glorious night for rock’s future, a pulsating Broken Boy Soldiers. |
