Last Tuesday evening, I headed to the CULTclub Spirit Of 66 in Verviers. The Canadian rockers of The Damn Truth were on the lineup there, and it’s certainly no hardship to see this wonderful band perform live.
They’re currently on a European tour, delighting fans with 24 shows in June and July. It’s their second leg of the tour, so to speak, promoting their fourth album, titled ‘The Damn Truth’. Unfortunately, on this warm Tuesday evening, the club wasn’t packed to the rafters with fans. But as singer Lee-La Baum said during the interview earlier that day, it doesn’t matter to the band whether they’re playing for 50 or 20,000 people—the main thing is that they can share their music and connect with old & new fans.
spellbound
When the intro music [Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”] blasts through the speakers, the audience knows exactly what’s coming. It’s about to begin. And boy, did it begin. Damn, what a sound, what energy, and what a voice!!! If you could create a vocal hybrid of Robert Plant and Beth Hart, you’d end up with Lee-La Baum!!! From the very first notes, it’s clear that this wasn’t just empty talk—playing live music is what this band lives for. And that’s clearly paying off.
The audience is spellbound by what this band has to offer live. And good music has no expiration date—good music is for eternity. So it doesn’t matter that the band seems to have been transported straight from the ’70s to the present. This band knows how to make music with catchy melodies, delightful solos, fat bass grooves, and pounding drums. Real songs.
Tight and relentless, always featuring the brilliant vocals of singer Lee-La—who, by the way, also plays rhythm guitar quite admirably.
powerful performances
What stands out most to me, aside from their musical craftsmanship, is the fact that these four people genuinely feel passion and have fun making music. This isn’t just a gimmick—it’s a way of life.
The opening song, “Be Somebody,” is already amazing on the album, but gets that extra boost when performed live. And songs like “The Willow” and “Addicted” are also delivered to the audience in incredibly powerful performances. We got to hear a cross-section of songs from all their albums.
This is a band—a unit—where all the individual parts ensure that the sum of 4 is surpassed to become 6. That’s the way I like it. Between songs, Lee-La addresses the audience in English and French. In this French-speaking corner of Belgium, it helps if you speak French too. And that’s clearly appreciated.
Is there anything not to like about this show? Well, as far as I’m concerned, it could have gone on for another hour.
Right after the show, the whole band heads into the audience to make that connection they value so highly—and I completely agree with The Damn Truth on that. That’s how the word gets spread. The people who weren’t there on Tuesday missed an amazing show, to say the least. If you have the chance, go see this band perform. The tour is still underway, and this fall, The Damn Truth will be back in Europe for an extensive tour as the opening act for the band Europe during their 40th-anniversary shows.
Great night, great people, great band. Rock and Roll is alive!!! Lee-la, Tom, Dave & Pierre-Yves, thanks for a amazing Tuesday night!!
Setlist:
Be Somebody
Killer Whale
Love Outta Luck
Addicted
The Willow
This Is Who We Are Now
All Night Long
If I Don’t Make It Home
Bass solo
I Just Gotta Let You Know
Lonely
Only Love
Look Innocent
Get With You
Tomorrow
Encore:
C’est mieux comme ça (French version of ‘Better This Way’)
Devilish Folk
Report & Images by Raymond Helebrand
