Gig Review
Harry Skinner Band
Saturday, 12 January 2008:
On this memorable occasion Bluesnights was celebrating its 100th gig - keeping the blues alive, up close and personal in this corner of Southwest England!
What better way to party than to invite one of Dorset’s own favourite outfits, the Harry Skinner Blues Band? Harry on guitars and vocals, Peter Catlin - guitar, Ray Drury - keyboard, Henk Leering - bass guitar and, for this special night, guest drummer, Paul Beavis. Over little more than three years, this band has built up a solid following across the UK and into mainland Europe. With a sound that is very much their own, and with material that is half self-penned, they really swing!
Kicking off with "Bitter Sweet Blues", an easygoing number, they followed with "Be Careful" - very much in the Chicago-style vein. "Help the Poor" is a dynamic semi-ballad that was well received by a packed-out venue and led into Robert Johnson’s "Steady Rolling Man" with a sharp, syncopated rhythm, and on which Ray played an excellent keyboard solo. Muddy Waters’ "Rolling & Tumbling" was very well executed, featuring muscular solos from Harry, Pete and Ray. Jimmy Reed’s "Big Boss Man" showed another aspect of the band’s musical skills, achieving a smooth, slick sound within a tight arrangement, coupled with excellent lead guitar work.
Note: Click thumbnail to view full artist image.
Photo credit: Paul Martin.
... continued
The second set started with a very rhythmic rendition of Ray Charles’ "I Got A Woman". On Harry’s "Seven Hills to Climb", the band achieved a swinging jazzy feel, a superb organ solo and some very sharp lead guitar to boot. Nice chops on "How Many More Years". The slide playing on "Down Home Girl" was excellent on this driving rocker. The Grainger/Robbins standard "Ain’t Nobody’s Business" slow blues was given a very passionate treatment. The band had been so well received by the crowd appreciative of the guitars and the keyboards and the solid rhythm section of Paul and Henk that we kept them on for two encores, finally ending with Keb Mo’s "Soon as I Get Paid".
A truly fabulous night, followed by a very large cake shared by the 120 audience, volunteers and band, rounded off this important milestone for Bluesnights. Hopefully, it will inspire other promoters to stick with it and keep the blues alive and live in the UK.
Review by: Lewis A Harris.
© Bluesnights. The Dorset Blues Society.
12 January 2008.
Footnote: More than 100 blues fans packed the Dorchester Arts Centre to celebrate the 100th Bluesnight with a live performance from the Dorset-based Harry Skinner Blues Band. The audience, many of whom had only missed a handful of gigs in almost nine years, finished the evening with a slice of the cake pictured here, held by Bluesnights founder and organiser Tom Hopkins (right) and Terry Fitzgerald, vice-chairman of the Dorset Blues Society.
© Dorset Echo. Reproduced with kind permission.
