Electric Blue

21st November 2007

ANDY                                Sax / Bongos 

DAVE                                Lead Guitar/Vocals 

BRYN                                Bass

TONY                                 Drums

Electric Blue have been fairly regular visitors to the Quaker, especially on the Blues weekend in September, unfortunately, I haven't seen them before ( apart from Tony who doubles up with Black Dog) so I wasn't sure what I was going to get other than a blues orientated night of music.....it what it says on the can! The band took great care in setting up the sound but with the sound desk at the back, with Andy having to turn round to Dave with his guitar in the middle of the room. Having said that, the sound appeared to be spot on with the vocals being at the right kind of level to be enjoyed. 

Set 1.

The first number was actually their warm-up number, 'Messing Around'(?) by Robin Ford and the Blue Line and straight away you could see and hear that everyone was together, and combined with an excellent guitar solo by Dave the standard was quickly set for the night. I didn't get the name of the next song or who performed it, but there was a strong deep South/ Alabama blues feel to it, with the rhythm section providing just the right backing to Dave's voice. The pace slowed further down with Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Texas Flood', this time we had the introduction of Andy's sax to great effect, altogether very good, and this progression continued to a song I finally knew. 'The Stealer' by Free had a great feel to it with Andy's sax provided just the right fill in supporting Dave on vocals. Whether I got the name of the next song right or not, I don't know , other than it was by Fleetwood Mac in the Peter Green years, and maybe 'Messing Around' ( again?). In this fast up tempo song, again, everything was tight and gave you the idea that these lads are very happy playing together... perhaps the bass could have been a tad heavier but then again who am I? The singalongability of Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Pride and Joy' had the audience joining in, and together with Andy's bongos, this was a very well played number. It was also on this number that I noticed where most people tap one foot to the rhythm, Dave uses both feet. 'Hey Joe' by Jimi Hendrix came next...this was unbelievably good, with the saxophone in there, combined with a strong basic rhythm and vocals, we were treated to a classic song given a complete makeover, whilst still retaining the essential Hendrix experience. Although the last song before the break was by Jeff Healey called 'Old Blue Jeans', there was a definite Gary Moore feel to it. Again Andy filled in with sax but the highlight was Dave's solo, which to term a Marty phrase...f.ff.fff.fantastic.

Instead of taking a break, Dave treated us to three acoustic numbers, all by Rory Gallagher. The first, 'Pistol Slapper Blues', provided us with an example of how good a guitarist he is, with a style reminiscent of Leo Kottke. An old New York blues number, 'Too Much Alcohol', had I thought a White Stripes treatment and finally 'Sixteen Candles' which is probably the only song that may have benefited from a re-introduction of the band, as a lead into the second half. All in all, very very good.

Set 2.

Co-incidentally, we led off the second set with another Rory Gallagher number, 'Bad Penny'. Now this had the genuine Gallagher  feel to it, and included as many of Rory's songs do, two great guitar solos expertly executed by Dave. Rory Gallagher also provided the inspiration to the next song 'Messing with the Kid', and with absolutely no step down in quality in sound or playing ability, the band pulled off another great number. 'Little Wing' by Jimi Hendrix followed, and even though we were treated to a great version of Hey Joe in the first half, this was simply another example of the relaxed playing style of Dave on guitar and the ability of the band to create their own feel to the song with the addition of the saxophone. 'Oochicoochie Man' by Muddy Waters was the next dish on this menu, and whilst expertly played and performed, the only thing I could comment on was the lack of a Muddy Waters voice, but that didn't detract from  what was a good song.  'Crosscut Saw ' ( performed in any order of Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King or Johnny Winter), gave us a different southern blues feel, more New Orleans based, especially with the strong influence of Andy's guitar and a strong bass line, was a good example of a complete understanding of the  whole blues genre. It is hard to pick highlights in what was becoming to be some of the highest quality of music played at the Quaker, but 'Voodoo Child' by Hendrix just contained one of the best solo guitar performances I have witnessed. Keeping up the standards, but with again a completely different  slant, came 'Abraxas' by Santana, where the rhythm combination with Andy's bongos provided a beautiful feel to the song. 'Purple Haze' , another Hendrix number, and another great example of his songs given ' a wash and brush up', rather than, with a lot of other bands, just going through the notes. The last song I heard before I reluctantly had to leave was 'White Room' by Cream. Andy's sax again provided a great fill in to Dave's guitar solo. This provided a different feel to last weeks Animate performance, but did not detract from the quality of performance... it was simply Electric Blues style.

This was a superb night ( despite England being dumped out Europe). Electric Blue play all songs in their own style by combining instruments you wouldn't necessarily expect from a blues band. Dave, for a young-un, belies his skill in guitar playing for someone much older, and given their present line-up, this is a group with a very promising future.