Dave Wilde (tenor & baritone sax/flute/vocal); Chris Jelly (vibes/malletKat); Richard Burns (trumpet); Dan Brady (bass guitar); Steve Glendinning (guitar); Martin Douglas (drums); Brendan Murphy (percussion).
(Review by Lance)
It was a tough call. My favourite singer, Jo Harrop, with an all-star band at Sage Gateshead versus my favourite vibes player, Chris Jelly, with the equally all-star band, King Bee (not to be confused with the plural version), at Hoochie Coochie.
9pm said the Hoochie website. Naively, I took this to be 9pm GMT when in fact it was 9pm HCT which, in real money means 9:45 pm. So, in consequence, I could have heard, at least the first set at Sage 2 as opposed to the enjoyable 25 minutes of the delectable Ms. Harrop.
Fortunately, Team Bebop had all the bases covered with at least 4 of our scribes and photographers present so the event will be covered in its entirety - watch this space.
Over at Hoochie, it was House Full (as at Sage) and 248 of the 250 present were having a ball as the band, clad in the ecclesiastical uniform of white surplice, black cassock and dog collar preached to the converted. Just my luck to be sitting next to the only couple in the room who weren't being 'sent to heaven'.
"Does it get any better than this?" asked the woman.
"No" I replied adding, "Not anywhere!"
They left, leaving space for at least another six people.
On stage, the clergy were rockin’ and rollin’ as if Armageddon was nigh. If this had been St. Paul’s or The Abbey they’d surely have been excommunicated or, at the very least, demoted to the rank of curate. However, Hoochie is a church of a different colour (collar?) and the congregation, who’d taken many a draught of holy water, showed their appreciation in the form of a tribal dance that turned out to be a rain dance - as I found out later!
Chris Jelly for Pope! Dave Wilde – tenor, bari, flute and voice – a High Priest. Richard Burns not only played trumpet but, with his announcements, proved that Aussies do have a sense of humour (except when they lose). Referring to the band’s get up: “We don’t usually dress up like this – we don’t usually dress up at all”. With Brendan on djembes, Steve on guitar, Martin and Dan fuelling the fire they played like the devil incarnate – Hallelujah!
In case you think they’d overlooked Christmas let me tell you that God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was played so fast that the merry gentlemen (and their ladies) certainly needed a rest when the last amen had sounded!
Lance.
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