Before the start of the 16 Horsepower show at the Tivoli there is church singing. Loud church singing. As if the band wants to emphasize yet again that is has a message. A pious message, that is to say.

For the fans that had come to the Tivoli en masse Monday night that was a superfluous message. Meanwhile it should be known that 16 Horsepower frontman David Eugene Edwards is not only driven by a deep love of Hungarian and primitive Appalachian music, guitar-rock and country, but also by his love of God.

In almost every interview the son (sic) of a preacher says that his music improves because he keeps getting closer to God. Last Monday night it was striking that the audience has another opinion; especially the early material was lapped up as God's word by proverbial elders.

It is evident from the show that 16 horsepower keeps getting heavier on hand as time goes by. The light-footedness of the early shows has disappeared completely. All sense of perspective appears to be exchanged for fanaticism, introversion and chagrin.

The semi-acoustic start of the set is slow, dragging and monotonous. And this isn't caused by the songs - Hutterite Mile and Ditch Digger (sic); but above all things by the sober rendition that brings about a sense of awkwardness. Both Edwards' banjo-, bandoneon- and guitar-playing and his siren-like voice thrive in the full, electric sound of the band. If his playing and his voice get to much room because other instruments change down a gear, then the music soon starts to sound unsightly and gets on your nerves.

Was there nothing to enjoy then during the gig that lasted barely 75 minutes gig? Yes, there was. Especially in the early, more up-tempo, electric songs, the band displayed that it holds a unique interpretation of American roots music. In the exciting Harm's Way you can hear Edwards' predilection for Hungarian folk music in the distance. The driving Haw proves that Edwards' tremulous slide-guitar and the singing at the top of his voice show to full advantage when the band plays straightforward and pulls out all the stops.

It gets really exciting when the band concludes with the wooden Joy-Division cover Day Of The Lords (sic), which really pierces you through the very marrow. Unfortunately that sort of experience was rare lost Monday.