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| © Ken Drew |
Zoë Gilby
(vocals); Mark Williams (guitar); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Andy Champion (bass
guitar); John Bradford (drums).
It had been a while since I’d been to a gig at the Central Bar, a fine
music-friendly hostelry tucked away in a side street at the southern end of the
Tyne Bridge.
Headliners were some of Tyneside’s leading jazz talent doing their rock thing. A very well-known set of musicians – certainly to Tyneside audiences and increasingly more widely – but not in this line-up or context. Indeed, this was a first performance, to launch the new album, Neon Burning. So what to expect?
In the event, Zoë’s jazz-forged vocal identity is undiluted, but set in bass-driven rock surroundings. Her fluctuating moods and sudden power surges show striking versatility. Mark W. pumps out rock riffs and solos with suitable force, but also with eloquent thoughtfulness when required.
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| © Ken Drew |
The dramatic trapped-in-a-library Page by Page draws proceedings to a close. This is a worthy – and thoroughly enjoyable – addition to the diverse range of musical projects over which the individual members of this talented bunch preside.
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| © Ken Drew |
Earlier, the show opened up with Ian “Dodge” Paterson's Outri, a multi-layered musical structure built up from a 5-string bass guitar. Colourful images on a couple of TV screens off to his left join in. The extra string allows for guitar-like meanderings. Then drum sounds kick in, followed by electronically manipulated vocals – Outri is having fun!
A gently melodic sequence seems to calm an element in the audience that was maybe getting a bit restive (you don’t hear this sort of thing every night in Gateshead).
Then a simple motif amid an electronic squall takes us sailing into the interval and sets us up nicely for what was to follow ... Geoff Fimister
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