GIGS IN JULY 2006

LANHYDROCK HOUSE, LOSTWITHIEL (15TH JULY)




"ROCK MEETS THE BLUES IN THE PARK" -
THE BUCKET BOYS, EVEN NINE, THE ERROL LINTON BLUES VIBE, THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA & DR.JOHN

(Reviewed by Patrick Mcdonagh)

Lanhydrock Blues

When I first heard that such a legend as Dr John was playing right here in Cornwall, I couldn`t believe my luck, and frankly expected a sell out. No such luck for Lanhydrock, apparently ticket sales were well down on last year`s sell out for a Queen tribute band. Hang your heads in shame Cornwall gig goers. Another incongrous element to this whole gig was the presence of many families with young children enjoying themselves with abandon. I dont object in any way to that, but it`s just not what I would expect to see at a Dr John gig. I was looking forward to all the lived in hang dog faces, gently swaying in time to the music, as a distincly middle eastern perfume wafted from jazz cigarettes through the audience. No such luck, all the hippies I saw there seemed to have done very well for themselves in the interim between the 70`s and now. It was an audience of 4x4 drivers, some of whom seemed to stare very disapprovingly at the one brave soul who did spark one up.

The day kicked off with the Bucket boys very much on form. I liked this band on a bigger stage than they normally take to and the double bass player was a fantastic addition to their sound. They cracked through some old favourites from their set, and I was particularly pleased when Richard Worthy paid tribute to Al Hodge before a rip roaring version of `guitar man`I suspect a lot of tributes were paid to the man at many gigs that weekend, and rightly so. The Bucket Boys are a very talented bunch who have an eclectic mix of country swing/blues that brings out the best in Steve Turner and Tim Renwick on guitar and they were the ideal start to the day.

Next up were a young Cornish band Even Nine. The lead singer stated that "we are the rock element of the blues meets rock at Lanydrock today" and I thought hang on to your ego son, you`re on the same bill as The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Dr John both of whom have achieved a considerable amount of fame. But then I reasoned that to stand out in front of a Marshall stack you need something of an ego to start with. This band were interesting in the sense that they are very much used to performing, have perfected their sound and style to a point, but at the same time are very much in the formative stages of a career. They belted out their set with energy, and I do like to see a band enjoy themselves on a stage. It will be interesting to see what happens to this band, but they can definitely be satisfied that they are carrying the rock torch forward.

Then we were treated to a band from from London, The Errol Linton Blues Vibe who struck up their set with a Chicago Blues sound so authentic that I honestly thought they were from America, and believe me in the world of musicians that is a huge compliment. For all it`s percieved faults in this world, no one can deny the contribution to music and the arts America has made, and this band were living proof of that. They worked so hard at their set, that they had the audience onside within two numbers, and they occassionally lapsed into a kind of complimentary half time reggae theme that worked beautifully. I cannot think of one bad thing to say about this band. if you like your blues, and you`re in London anytime make sure you catch this bunch, and especially watch out for their piano player who tops off their sound with a barrelhouse roll that sometimes almost made me feel faint.

The Blind Boys of Alabama came to Cornwall 2yrs ago, but what the heck it`s good to have them back. They are definitely a gospel outfit but that`s no hinderance to any audience who is lucky enough to hear something we dont get down here very often. A real American band from the Southern States, who have won four Grammy awards for there work thus far. Their version of `Slow Train Coming` was particularly warm and rich in it`s sound and sentiment. And they really do believe. They preceded it with `Lord knows it`s good enough for me` from their latest CD which I have to say was plugged more times by the Blind Boys than any CD at any gig ever. Keep trying to fleece the taxman boys. And then............

Dr John is something you don`t see often either, a true bona fide legend from New Orleans, the third ward to be precise, and he started off in that low key kind of New Orleans way. `I want some Voodoo`, and `I only want to know about Love` set the scene perfectly as the sun went down over the horizon, softly highlighting the skull on the piano. And then it was simply sitting back and enjoying the musical ride. His backing band were as good as you would expect him to have, i.e. top drawer and I have to say that the drummer and the bass player were, in musical parlence, tighter than a monkey`s nuts. As they were all from New Orleans also we were treated to a sound undiluted, pure, and straight from the horses mouth. If you dont know Dr John; you should. If you know Dr John, you know what I mean. He didn`t short change the crowd on time either, doing a respectable 80-90 minutes, and after all he isn`t as young as he was. Time however has failed to diminish his talent in any way, and I can only hope that some of the young of today will discover and appreciate this remarkable, complex artist, whose place in the annals of musical fame is already assured.