The Heavy/Mayer Hawthorne and the County

Sat., Oct. 16, 9 p.m., $29, with Childish Gambino, TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, livenation.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman

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Published: Oct 13, 2010

[ soul/funk/rock]

In a fairly logical extension of post-Winehouse Brit-soul snowball, The Heavy, who hail from the awesomely-named U.K. town of Noid, resurrect an electrified, Anglified take on Afro-American roots forms (blues, funk, reggae), shot through with garage rock grit and hip-hop swagger, that's rarely felt this potent since the heyday of Led Zeppelin. If you can overlook a slightly frattish undertone, it's hard not to be won over by frontman Kelvin Swaby's thick, throaty urgency. Meanwhile, Detroit white boy Hawthorne might just be the cream of the whole retro-soul crop, nailing the trifecta of singing (in a totally credible, effortlessly sweet falsetto), songwriting (probably his greatest strength) and seriously suave showmanship.

Sat., Oct. 16, 9 p.m., $29, with Childish Gambino, TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, livenation.com.

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