Horns kick back like a New York sidewalk. Flute penetrates the muse with a Brian Jackson panache. Ron Isley guitar cuts through the night. The warmth of the Hammond organ sends an uplifting shiver through the soul, raising the mood as soon as it starts to play.
They've been inspiring these senses since 2014's soulboy manifesto To Find The Spirit. Since then they've honed their sound with a run of great albums: A Life Unlimited, Street Rituals and Everybody, Anyone, the latter two produced by Paul Weller. Tonight the Stone Foundation boys are back on tour with a wide canvas and promises of a new tomorrow.
Stand and watch, beer in hand, as they breeze through the tunes. The set does justice to the recent back catalogue. There are too many songs to list. But tunes like Next Time Around, Season Of Change and The Limit Of A Man showcase their sound perfectly. The positive vibe the band expound is echoed in the line from Everybody, Anyone's opener, Sweet Forgiveness: "Nobody can do everything but everybody can do something". That vibe is at the heart of new tunes, such as the promising Changes, from a new LP which is tantalisingly on the horizon.
There have been collaborations over recent years with musicians such as Hamish Stuart, Kathryn Williams, Steve White, Dr Robert, Mick Talbot and the aforementioned Mr Weller. One memorable collaboration was with the legendary Graham Parker and a version of I'm Gonna Burn Your Playhouse Down, which is delivered with all the force and soul you would expect of that particular tune. They're on fine form. And they're loving it, you can tell, founder members Neil Jones' soulful vocals and Neil Sheasby's bass lines (check out his recent memoir Boys Dreaming Soul) blast out the vibes, along with the excellent range of musicians who give the band their full on sound.
The set concludes with the lead single from A Life Unlimited, Beverley, with its memorable hook and positive, multiracial theme. "We'll play that as long as there's racism", is the message from the band. That's fine from where we're standing. Its a top tune and a top message.
The band leave the stage and its time to reflect. It's been a memorable night. Its so good to see a real band out there, one that has so many of those influences from over the decades yet is firmly of the moment, constantly moving forward, never standing still or looking back. Stone Foundation showcase the new soul vision as well as any band in England right now. The feeling at the gig's conclusion is a message of positivity, one to take back into life and apply its principles, living it, day by day, however soulless the environment you may find yourself in. Its what clean living's about, after all.
"Nobody can do everything but everybody can do something". You got it.