The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager

Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly. Live at Chinnery's Southend on Sea - 18th September 2006.

You might not read it here first, but Sam Duckworth is going to be HUGE. This was a home town gig for Southend born Sam under his alter-ego Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly after an extensive tour which has included both the Carling Festivals in Leeds and Reading and Bestival on the Isle of Wight. It was also the day his first album, The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager was realeased. Get Cape have been gigging extensively for the last 2 years or so and according to manager Paul Bonham, Duckworth is one of the hardest working men in the business. Just one look at his previous gigs this year alone proves this to be true. Only the week before Duckworth's first single from his album was released and he played no less than four gigs in the day, including a in store performance and signing session at the HMV store in Southend.

There was decent support from Boom In The Diamond Industry and the excellent Cardiff band Adequet 7 and then Get Cape hit the stage armed with an acoustic guitar and a laptop, and it is this that sets Duckworth apart from his counterparts. He is an excellent guitarist and this is aided by some fantastic beats laid down by the laptop. It is hard to catagorise but if I had to pigeonhole him I'd include him in the 'Folktronica' scene that include such bands as It's Jo And Danny. It's was obvious to all that this was a special gig, the kind that, as a regular gig goer, come along only once in a while. A cynic might say that, as this was a home town gig, with an audience that has been with him since that start and included all his mates and his Mum and Dad (who were standing next to me and Jock Pop), he could do no wrong, but despite this the performance that Duckworth gave was nothing short of briliant. For a man of only 20 years old his confidence on stage is phenomenal. He played most of the album including Glasshouses, I-Spy, The Lighthousekeeper, War Of The Worlds and Once More With Feeling and the crowd sang along with every song.

There is a fashion at the moment for the singer-songwriter and although this is a welcome change from the manufactured dross of most of the charts, it can be a little bit boring and samey. Get Cape are something different, Duckworth's songs mean something for a start. He sings about the need to stand up and fight racism and homophobia in Glasshouses, and the threat about globalisation in Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly which conatins the lyric "You don't have to be a coathanger for a corporation in a market that has lost the plot". He also writes about the being wrongly perceived because of what you do, maintaining that "You are not your job and you are not the clothes you wear. You are the words that leave your mouth so speak up, speak up loud" in Call Me Ishmael. There is a whole lot more to Get Cape than the usual "I love you" drival.

The highlight of the gig was a crowdsurf by Sam whilst playing his guitar during the final song. He admitted that he had never done anything quite like that before and you got the impression that he loved every second of the night and it was a totally spontaneous action to hurl himself into the crowd, although he did ask just before he did it if people would catch him.

Watch out for Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly and go and buy either the album or the single of the same name. If you get a chance to see him live do so without hesitation. You won't be disappointed.