On this day – 29th April
With the country still in the midst of lockdown and no sign of any live music in the foreseeable future if at all this year I thought I would take the opportunity to look back in the archives, sounds posh I know but it’s just an spreadsheet, and revisit gigs I attended on this day down the years.
Just the two today over the years
2003 – Alvin Youngblood Hart, the Borderline
The three amigos (me, John and Graham) here on this night for Mr Hart’s rock blues incarnation JoB Cain along with Audley Freed of Black Crowes fame, Robert Kearns on bass and Ed Michaels on drums.
This was significant departure for many in the audience expecting to see an evening of stripped back acoustic blues. What we were treated to was an exceptional ninety minutes of stunning groove based electric blues and Freed particularly was on fire and this set up really gave him the freedom to shine. With a set split between Hart originals and stunning covers such as Skynyrd’ s ‘On the Hunt’ and Free’s ‘The Worm’ it was difficult to find fault anywhere.
This gig will always live long in the memory and only showcases Hart’s versatility as we have seen him in a number of different settings, solo acoustic, electric and another memorable time with Ian Siegal and the Dickinson brothers.
p.s. RIP The Borderline a sad loss to the London gig scene.
2018 – Whitney Rose, the Lexington
Me and Anne tonight for some Texas, via Canada, country music by the diminutive Ms Rose. I am not sure I can add much to the five star review I wrote at the time. Perfect music, perfect venue. Check out her brand new album ‘We still go to Rodeos’ that only further highlights her abilities with witty, observational, story based songwriting.
That’s it for today’s trip down memory lane. Here’s hoping we can get to some form of normality soon. Support your small local venues and smaller artists in these difficult times, stay safe and keep on rockin y’all