Phil Hudson (gtr); Graham Brown (organ); Paul James (bs); Gary Cowey (keys); Steve Wall (dms) + Laura Adams (vcl).
(Review by Lance).
Some gigs hit you in the face, full on, in the first number. Others start kind of meandering-like before moving up a gear. The former may grab you but, after that initial impact there's no place left to go whereas in the latter scenario, the tension builds and, before you know it, they too are flying and the only way is up!
God Bless The Child was well played but, somehow, didn't pull at the emotions in the way this number usually does - perhaps it needed the words which, with this song, are surely as important as the melody.
Graham Brown had been moonlighting around the hall with his camera (watch this space) but come Alfie's Tune he was at the, "Not quite a Hammond"organ although, close your eyes and this was a B3! At times I thought it was a Boeing 707 preparing for take off! Where have you been hiding Graham - Downtown Sunderland Gasworkers Club?
Phil Hudson is as sleek and as cool as any guitarist with his CV - Tina Turner, Mica Paris and a whole lot more - and he did the business good. Russell, who'd staggered in from a local beer festival compared him to John Scofield and, indeed Hudson sounded more like John Scofield than John Scofield did at GIJF!
Laura Adams strutted her stuff on, What's Going On? Followed by a somewhat pedestrian version of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square that was, however, compensated for by the sunniest Sunny since Georgie Fame and Bobby Hebb.
The volume was raised for the second set, successfully drowning out the company on a nearby table who'd sabotaged the first set and it was all systems go to the end.
Not an earth-moving gig by any means but, nevertheless, a one that caused no pain and some fine musicians who are, maybe, just getting it together - already it's close!
Lance.
No comments :
Post a Comment