Ann Duggan Band

ANN DUGGAN BAND

Donkey Venue July 30th 2023

All the usual suspects that I cant tag were there as well... party afternnoon!

So,  back at the Donkey this afternoon, indoors due to the inclement weather, to see the Ann Duggan Band. I am more used to seeing the basic duo version of Ann and Rob, i hadn't seen the band for a while, so this was almost a new experience!

Ann and Rob are augmented by Gordon Taylor on Drums and Brian Tillson on Bass... and a tight little combo they are to be sure. Today there were series of guests dropping in and out of the proceedings, Danny Wilson (guitar), Al Shotter (Harp), Al Sansome (guitar) and Kenny Wilson (accordion).

Ann was her usual ebullient self, spreading smiles and good cheer around the room.

If you have seen Ann before you will know exactly the formula... a rich mix of country, blues, americana and more with a number of staples, such as "Tennessee Whiskey" "Shooters Last Ride" "Every Step of the Way" (a real favourite) and "Worn Out Cowboy Boots" along with a number of less familiar (to me) songs.

The bands shows, especially with the guests can look somewhat chaotic but the performances remain excellent. 

Ann can handle most material regardless of genre, with the same style and aplomb which leads to a varied programme and paces the show with light and shade.

Apart from Ann's singing, Rob is as good an acoustic guitar player as you are likely to hear...   both providing sensitive accompaniment to Ann's singing and switch almost instantly to a flamboyant improvisation of dazzling dexterity... his playing covers sensitive, exciting, bluesy, rocky, and flamenco stylings...

The show was full of great moments and, typically of one of their gigs, ran long beyond the expected end time... 

A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining afternoon... 

Mind you, if i could raise one quibble... to be honest, although i really enjoyed the gig, on a personal level I confess to preferring the duo format as the unique chemistry between the two, and the subtleties of Robs guitar work, can get a bit lost at times in the band format

Jim Kirkpatrick Band

JIM KIRKPATRICK BAND

Musician Pub July 29th 2023

Tonight at The Musician Pub a slice of hot blues/rock courtesy the wonderful Jim Kirkpatrick Band. I had seen Jim a number of times in other guises, so knew well how superb he is as a guitarist, but had never seen him leading his own band.

No worries, Jim has surrounded himself with a fabulous band featuring drums, bass and keyboards as well as his own guitar.

I never like to pigeon hole music with genres, but this is blues rock, hard, pure and steaming,,, While the bass and drums thunder the keyboards add wonderful layers of texture to the sound, with Jims guitar to the fore..

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Each of the musicians is outstanding in their field and contribute fully to the dynamic overall sound.

The set included a number of tracks which are getting a lot of media attention right now, such as "Dead Man Walking" " Union Train" with its tinges of country feel, "Ballad of the Prodigal Son" as well as a personal favourite of mine called (i think... ) "How Blue Can You Get" which closed the first half. A wonderful blues which gave the keyboard player a chance to shine with a superb solo section, as well of some of Jims finest guitar playing

Beyond this i am a sucker for some great slide playing, and Jim delivered that in great style.

A hugely enjoyable terrific gig from an awesomely talented band... superb evening.

Keep music live... keep music real... support your local venue

Amber Saqladi, Niles Boyton, Kel Simone

AMBER SAQLADI BAND - NILES BOYTON - KEL SIMONE

Musician Pub July 27th 2023

This was an interesting gig... partly in that I felt so damn old with the audience!!

First up tonight was Kel Simone. I heard a bit of her sound check and thought "great voice, looking forward to this"... and she didn't disappoint. She delivered a set of covers (some more familiar than others!) and one of her own songs. A really lovely opening set, beautiful voice and singing in a really lovely cool jazzy style accompanied by an acoustic guitar... Really fine set, hugely enjoyable and would love to see her again...

by the way, when she sang her own song, she said she would welcome feedback... well, it was damn good!!

Next up was NILES BOYTON... sorry, not for me at all. Niles seemed a highly confident performer but for me i would prefer more singing and less shouting and a break from the loud strident guitar... both are fine used sparingly but not to this extent. The whole set felt aggressive and i came away thinking his approach was "i am shouting because i can"... not appealing to me, and i was unable to really to judge his songs as a result.

Headling was Amber Saqladi.. i had seen Amber a few times before playing solo with acoustic guitar... this was her debut gig with her band... The band comprised bass and drum and Kel Simone singing harmony on some numbers..and they made a pretty good fist of it. Amber has a really great strong voice and writes some pretty fine songs... often rather "vengeful" and black, but nothing wrong with that.. She aklso has developed stage craft and communicates well... The music does however have light and shade in terms of tempos and is very enjoyable... my only negative really is that the stagecraft and look does hint very much of Cruise Ship Chic... i hope it doesn't go that way, but to be honest... i prefer the solo acoustic work

keep music live... keep music real... support your local venue

Barbara Nesbitt with Nevada Newman

BARBARA NESBIT with NEVADA NEWMAN

Musician Pub July 26th 2023

Tonight at the The Musician Pub we had as visit from country/americana singer BARBARA NESBITT with NEVADA NEWMAN... and judging by the conversations I had on the way out i may get a bit of flack here...

First off, Barbara has a beautiful voice and sings so well, and Nevada's guitar playing is superb, some passages bordering on the sublime. The two work together on stage so well and clearly enjoy performing.

The songs ranged from excellent to very ordinary for me, and are to a large extent based around family and friends, where there seem to be enough characters to create a wealth of songs.

However... for me, there wasn't enough to raise the gig above the ordinary... it was very pleasant, and I have no criticism of the artists or their performances, but sadly it just did not excite me or move me... I didn't feel a spark from the show... a shame... there was a wealth of talent on the stage...

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