Henry’s Swing Club met once again in the Brandling
Villa. It doesn’t resemble Chicago’s South Side in its comfortable South
Gosforth location but the music evokes the ‘50s blues scene of the Windy City.
Student beardy types frequent the place, office workers winding down after a
day’s work sink a pint, burger orders brisk. The beauty of the monthly blues
session is trying to guess which nondescript punter – is that bloke sitting
over there about to sit-in? – is actually a mean blues harp player, shouter or
guitar player.
Lounge Lizards’ Ron and Geoff, house band mainstays,
enjoy the crack, enjoy a beer and at two minutes to nine they shout for the
rhythm section boys – it’s time to go to work! In time honoured fashion the
house band run through a few numbers – Don’t
Lie to Me, then Geoff (guitar and vocals), lays down a killing Red House. The Brandling Villa,
enveloped in a fog, customers fewer in number than usual, hearing the latter
tune made the night…at ten past nine, two numbers in! Kansas City, some Bo Diddley, Need
Your Love So Bad, a half hour opening set, get the beers in, the sitters-in
ready to join the fray. The round-the-block, stripped-back punk poet known as
Thin Man did his thing; a Buzzcocks’ thing, the Lou Reed monotone.
The Man was in the house, at the bar. The ‘Man’, Mick
Cantwell. Brandling drinkers are blokes, Cantwell is a beer drinking dude.
Cantwell in Gosforth or Chicago is the real deal – the best beer drinking
soul-blues voice you’ll ever hear. Messin’
with the Kid with r and b tenor from Cantwell, then the best thing ever – Rock Me, Baby. Brilliant vocals with
John McCree on guitar for good measure.
The house band reconvened; Route 66, a ragged Honky Tonk
Women, Hey! Bartender. As blues
bands go, these guys are as good as it gets. A suburban pub rhythm and blues night
in a Camra recommended establishment. Bebop Spoken Here’s recommendation is to
hear the voice of Mick Cantwell – first Tuesday in the month, next one November
3.
Russell.
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