Gig Review
Bluesdevil
Saturday, 17 November 2007:
On a first time visit to Bluesnights, Bluesdevil consists of Chris Scott guitar/vocals, Nigel Greville on bass guitar and Dave Burbage on drums. All very seasoned players, they delivered a rich mixture of well-known standards, but not quite like the records we are familiar with. Their arrangements were quirkily original and seemed to show that they are not averse to testing the waters and pushing boundaries. Front man Chris, a very gregarious character, handled all the vocal chores and indulged in good-natured banter with the audience!
The first set started with "Wicked Tongue" which had very interesting rhythms. I was particularly impressed with Willie Dixon’s "Spoonful", a very good version. J.L. Hooker’s "Crawling King Snake" was solid riffing and a super slide solo! Howling Wolf’s "I Ain’t Superstitious" featured an interesting syncopated rhythm. Although numerically there were only six numbers in the first set they were, in fact, all extended workouts amply exemplified by the last number Bo Diddley’s "Who Do You Love" which was absolutely wild. Chris had the slide flowing up and down the fret board. Nigel on the bass was good simply because his playing is just what is necessary without overdoing it; he gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "economic"! Dave’s drumming was exuberant and passionate, tying in nicely with Nigel and Chris.
Note: Click thumbnail to view full artist image.
Photo credit: Paul Martin.
... continued
The second set booted off with a quite raucous rendition of Son House’s "Preaching Blues"; good fun. We then rolled and tumbled to Muddy Waters followed by "Catfish Blues". A very funky version and an excellent solo! Some more Wolf, then a cracking version of Sunny Boy Williamson’s "Help Me". Once again the slide work was great.
We implored them to come back on and they did Howling Wolf’s "Back Door Man"; this had an especially tight arrangement and was very good. We all had a really high-energy evening and everybody really enjoyed themselves. Hopefully, they’ll make a return visit in the not too distant future. A very entertaining band!
Review by: Lewis A Harris.
© Bluesnights. The Dorset Blues Society.
17 November 2007.
