Review of 7th March gig at:
Borough Blues Club, Pontypool, Wales
Debbie and the guys travelled a fair distance to play for us this Saturday, in fact, all the way from Surrey. Was it worth the drive? Well judging by the standing ovation they received at the end it would seem so and after I read the email Debbie sent me Sunday, the band thought so too!
Was it blues? – well maybe not, but it was good old honest 'classic 70's style rock with a smattering of blues in between, good enough to keep the vast majority of our members in their seats until the very end.....
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Debbie has done the rounds in the music business. from playing in shows in the West End to finally fronting her own band. Her experience certainly showed through – What a voice, 'Janice Joplin meets Tina Turner', she certainly 'strutted her stuff'!....
Lead guitar and vocal was provided by Bowler-hatted Slash lookalike, Phil Head-Smith with his rocky driving style, he kept the band moving along all night. Phil had 'penned' most of the band's songs and the quality of his compositions was very high, we have heard from originals from bands before but without a doubt, these were by far the best, with tidy riffs and great lyrics - and kept the audience interested all night.....
On Bass and backing vocals we had Baz Payne, a great technique and a fantastic sound, playing a fabulous custom bass which nearly got 'nicked' – by yours truly – but he kept his eye on it and I didn't get a chance!! ....
And last, but not least, on Drums, Pete Headley (son of Giles Headley, Eric Clapton's drummer). It's long been said that “it's in the genes”, and it is certainly the case with Pete, he displayed the ability of drummers with many more years experience, and he was a nice bit of 'eye-candy' for the ladies too!....
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The first song, an original – 'This is a Love Song', this set the tone for the night. Most of the songs were up-tempo including a version of 'Don't believe a Word' which started off in a blues tempo - very Gary Moore-ish, but for me there were a few really 'stand out' numbers in the first set – Rock n Rollin' (Head-smith), 'Love me like a Man' (Bonnie Raitt) and my personal favourite BB King's 'Help the Poor'.....
All too soon the first set was at an end and we had the usual break.....
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The second set started with an Al Green song – 'Take me to the River', this was followed by a great version of Albert King's 'Born under a bad Sign', then a self-penned driving rocking duet between Debbie and Phil called 'Tyres a Squealin'.....
They continued with songs like SRV's 'Pride and Joy, Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition' (with an unusual chord arrangement), another original – which could have been written by the Beatles - 'Keep your hands to Yourself', a great rock blues number called 'Get gone Blues' good slide-guitar work from Phil, and to finish, another Phil Head-Smith original 'Bye Bye Bye'. The audience must have enjoyed Debbie and the boys as they got a standing ovation and a call for 'more – so they did - ....
BB King's 'Thrill is Gone' – super vocals, tasty guitar solo – do the crowd want them back at the club? - You bet they do!!....
What more do we want – Good Band, Great Night – Sorted!....
Our thanks must go to a lovely lady, Debbie, and her guys for the entertainment.....
Let's hope we can get them back again. ....
“Keep the blues Alive, Adi” ....
Adrian Powell 03-09....
blustery
breezy
accomplished