This eclectic “yet to be genre defined” band were a real treat to listen to live at Bar 42 in Worthing. The band create a bluesy rock vibe with influences from the 60’s, 90’s and South America (where lead singer Craig grew up)
The Daytona’s are made up of: Craig Etherington (Vocals and Bass) Edd Pilgrim (Drums) Adrian Davies (Rhythm guitar and backing vocals) and Ali Connor (lead guitar). The group spent two years together before their first public performance and for these guys it seems to have really worked for them. The set is polished and the songs are memorable, my favourite so far being “shake it” which has a gorgeous 60’s vibe running through it but with modern heavy drums.
I always like seeing a bassist as the lead singer, and Craig’s Brad Roberts/Jonny Cash sounding vocals compliment his playing greatly. The set was full on and they held their audience for the whole duration. The Daytonas did a great job of working their audience without over promotion or too much spiel, they had a time frame and they wanted to get as much music into that time as possible which was really refreshing as often I see bands that over promote or talk too much between songs and you only hear 3 or 4 songs in a set.
I first heard the Daytonas through their sound cloud and although the recordings are good they don’t do the band justice which is why I always feel it is important to see bands live as recordings are not always a true reflection of a band.
Bar 42 in Worthing was a great venue for the gig; the sound and atmosphere were spot on and the audience was enthusiastic.
It’s not often you find a band where all the songs are on par with each other, each number was as enjoyable as the last. Highlights being the afore mentioned “Shake it“ and “Valentino” Each has a retro vibe and you feel like you’ve known the songs forever when you hear them.
The bands writing is led by Craig and Aidrian but is an overall collaborative progress, this collaborative input allows for the eclectic and unique sound that the band create.
Check them out if you like easy listening rock.
You can keep up to date with what the Daytonas are up to in the following ways:
https://thedaytonas.wordpress.com/
www.facebook.com/TheDaytonasBand
Words by Beverley Seal
