LIVE SHOWS – each is linked to my original full length review with setlist
This year I’m separating concerts from recorded music. That will follow.
There are only nine this year.
1 The palmer james group, The Cellar at the Blue Boar, Poole
1st December
OK, I set this one up, so I am just a tad biased. Then again, I’ve also seen the full video three times with different band members, so i’ll stick to “best show of 2019.” In the mid 60s, the palmer james group (all lower case) were one of the South Coast’s best R&B groups then soul bands. They split in 1968 with Richard Palmer, John Wetton and John “Hutch” Hutcheson starting Tetrad with Bob Jenkins on drums. Alec James went on to Bunker’s Brain. A year later, Tetrad split.
They all went in different directions but remained close friends. John Wetton formed Splinter with Ed Bicknell (later Dire Straits manager), then on to Jim Litherland’s Brotherhood, Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK and Asia. John passed away in January 2017. Rick went on to form Supertramp, then to German bands Munich and Emergency. He reunited with John as King Crimson lyricist in 1973-1974. He played with Italian disco kings, La Bionda and as a duo as Blues Meets Classical.
Bob Jenkins joined Room, who won the New Musical Express Beat Contest. Their Deram album Pre Flight is one of the most collectable Deram prog LPs. The album had strings, so they recruited Hutch on organ directly they finished it. Bob went on to a stellar session career and touring career, and is now with Be Sharp!
We reunited the band of 1968 with John “Andy” Andrews on bass and vocals (The Lonely Ones, The Joint, the first tour manager of Supertramp) replacing John Wetton, and Alec James on vocals (he played drums in the original band). John’s widow, Lisa Wetton joined in on some songs on drums, percussion and vocals.
GIG EAR WORM: Maybe I’m A Beggar (from the first Supertramp LP)
2 k.d. lang: Ingenue Redux Tour
25th July, Poole Lighthouse Concert Hall
I like the one album show concept. I also can’t believe that it was a quarter of a century ago that Ingénue was the soundtrack wafting gently along behind every restaurant meal. Actually it was more, as this is the second year of the 25th Anniversary Tour as she pointed out. As she introduced her band she told us that one backing vocalist was 9 months younger than the Ingenue album.
We saw k.d. lang back in the 1990s (front row) and it remains one of the best concerts I have ever seen. k.d. has retained every nuance of her voice as well as the full power. She remains one of the most extraordinary vocalists … She has also retained all of her extraordinary charisma and stage presence. She is in completely relaxed command of the stage area as she moves around, barefoot of course.
GIG EAR WORM: Hallelujah
3 P.P.Arnold
10th October, Arlington Arts, Newbury
This is the tour behind her New Adventures of P.P. Arnold, and I was delighted when this came out in August to see large displays of the CD and vinyl at HMV, and that it was iTunes #1 R&B / Soul in the UK, and #4 in Germany. She’s touring with Steve Cradock as Musical Director, and their association goes back over twenty years to Steve Cradock’s time in Ocean Colour Scene, when she duetted on It’s A Beautiful Thing in 1998, then he produced her magnificent version of Different Drum in 1998. He produced the new album, and is now well-known for his work with Paul Weller.
It’s a well-thought out line up. The album has lots of strings, but the keyboard covers this with synth sounds, piano sounds and a Hammond organ setting. The brass: trumpet and trombone, punch out a more soulful sound than would a saxophone which tends to make stuff jazzy. An ex-Ikette knows the value of two powerful female backing singers, and they’re beautifully dressed and made-up too. OK, in an ideal world a string section would be good, but hopefully if this sells enough they can afford that next time.
GIG EAR WORM: Different Drum
4 Symphonic Pink Floyd
16th November. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Bournemouth Symphony Chorus with the “Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Pink Floyd Rock Band”
Poole Lighthouse Concert Hall
Usually, the symphony orchestra is mainly coloration. This Symphonic Pink Floyd seemed far more integrated and carefully arranged, with the orchestra, chorus and rock band contributing equally.
The “Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Pink Floyd Rock Band” (as Pete Harrison announced it) consisted of lead guitar, second guitar, 5-string bass guitar, drums, keyboard player on organ setting, keyboard player on piano setting. There was a second drummer (who stood up for applause when the orchestra stood up). The main orchestra had timpani in the middle, and three more percussionists. It’s quite a job. The lead guitarist stood up to take solos, but I think you can’t play it any other way.
The sound was magnificent … to all those percussion players and drummer, you add electric bass guitar, then four double basses, plus a cello section, with a lead cellist who took several solo bows. Then you have the full orchestra, plus the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus which I estimated at 110 singers. Yes, that is 110.
The Lighthouse is a hall where I’ve seen many rock bands screw up with poor over blown amplification … they need to come and hear what it can sound like … including drums, bass guitar and lead guitar. This is how it should be and interestingly I’ve seen lots of jazz here that sounds superb too.
GIG EARWORM: Another Brick In The Wall
5 Van Morrison
21st October, Bournemouth International Centre
Well, the sound was great tonight from where I was sitting (Terrace dead centre, about five rows directly above the soundboard … a careful choice!). The feel was different. Looking at recent setlists in America, the first six songs are pretty much set (except for the opener which can also be Got to Go Where The Love Is), so there’s not the sense of him jamming around to get the feel which used to prevail. Several songs are set for this tour, though not always in the same order and as ever, no setlist is more than about 75% the same as the previous one. The way spots uneeringly lit soloists shows much more rehearsed lighting than in the past.
The major thing tonight was two tracks from the new album Three Chords & The Truth.
GIG EARWORM: Going to sleep it was St Dominic’s Preview. When I woke next morning it was a surprise one … Spirit Will Provide.
6 Saving Grace
30th May, Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, Dorset
They democratically list the band in alphabetical order, but just scroll down to P.
Robert Plant. On other Tivoli reviews I’ve gasped in wonder at the likes of Judy Collins and Steve Cropper playing this local community theatre, but ROBERT PLANT is a whole different level. And for £25.
The way the evening was arranged was telling. On stage, Robert Plant described his own musical journey over more than fifty years, from the kid fascinated by blues and the Mississippi Delta, to his “conversion” to the music of the hills in general, but especially The Appalachians. With the Saving Grace band the interest is in found material, covers, if you prefer. So go back to Raising Sand with Alison Krause in 2007, and like this tour, the focus is on “found” songs … I prefer the film or theatre term to “cover versions.” They’re not covers, they’re re-explorations of heritage songs. On The Lullaby … and The Ceaseless Roar in 2014, that took him to writing original material. I’ve done that physical journey … from New Orleans to the Mississippi Delta to Memphis and then through the deep woods along the Natchez Trail to Nashville. Plant’s was a musical journey, and it’s reflected by the support set by Swing Fever (reviewed below) which is firmly blues and R & B. Saving Grace is much more “folk” or Appalachian than Raising Sand with none of the loud dynamics. The whole of the evening was beautifully balanced, a pleasant volume was never exceeded. There was no dynamic lighting plot or changes, just everyone well lit (and sympathetically to age, with straw and pinkish LEDS).
GIG EARWORM: Jesus On The Mainline
7 Kiefer Sutherland
3rd August, O2 Academy, Bournemouth
It’s a surprise to find Kiefer Sutherland there. He got a large and enthusiastic audience and as we were checking out parking in the afternoon, people with camp chairs started the queue at 2.30 p.m. for a 7 p,m. doors open. All standing venue.
My wife had heard him on the radio, and found a video of Something You Love on the net from Reckless & Me. We never knew he was a singer, looked him up and discovered him playing so near to home. Then we bought the album.
Kiefer comes on stage with tremendous impact, white hat, white jacket, roar of acclaim. He played electric guitar on the first number and went for it- rocking out.
I’d love to see him in a hall with a decent acoustic. Superb performer, singer and writer. Tight very good band. Shame about the O2’s sound. Seated would be a bonus, but I reckon he got a lot of feedback from the excited and responsive standing audience.
GIG EARWORMS: Saskatchewan, Knocking on Heaven’s Door
8 The Unthanks
26th April, Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, Dorset
We had assumed they’d be playing stuff from their Lines trilogy of albums (SEE BELOW). Of course it’s The Unthanks. Expect the unexpected. This is just Rachel, Becky & Niopha Keegan. By “unaccompanied” they mean exactly that: unaccompanied. No musical instruments. No backing. Voices only. So, the special point? This tour is being recorded live at every venue. There will be a live album which you can subscribe to in advance for £10, which we did. Therefore, most of the material is previously unrecorded, which means some titles are guesstimates.
Just the three then, with Niopha abandoning her fiddle to sing as the third part of a sublime trio. It was actually more ‘traditional folk’ than recent Unthanks concerts dedicated to special areas like the Diversions series. It took me back to the Sixties when we would hitch up to London to Les Cousins or The Troubadour (or wherever) to hear folk.
GIG EARWORM: Magpie
9 Australian Pink Floyd
7th December, Bournemouth International Centre
Pink Floyd are especially suitable for tributes. They don’t have a “signature singer” with an instantly recognizable voice, and most of the time it’s instrumental, therefore good musicians can reproduce it exactly. Also, they don’t have to act out the roles like The Bootleg Beatles do, because (sorry, guys) the originals’ personalities are not the major draw. Not here either. A lead vocalist who sits on a stool lacks a certain … anything.
I saw The Symphonic Pink Floyd just three Saturdays ago with a cast of nearly two hundred and much of the same material. The same night, a different Pink Floyd tribute band. The UK Pink Floyd Experience, was playing The Tivoli, Wimborne. Next May, the same venue hosts The Floyd Effect. The same month The Dark Side of Pink Floyd are also on tour.
To me The Australian Pink Floyd Show was accomplished, very well-played but it was also sterile. Because of the lights and projection and inflatables (teacher, kangaroo and pig) the show must be tightly fixed. As one song leads into another, devoid of intros or banter, much like the albums, my mind hears a click track running right through for the musicians locking the tempos and lighting inexorably. The Bootleg Beatles change the set slightly from night to night. These guys definitely don’t … indeed, definitely can’t.
It was loud, impressive. For the BIC balcony, sound was very good.
GIG EARWORM: Shine On You Crazy Diamond
10 BEST SUPPORT ACT:
Tim Dalling, with The Unthanks, Tivoli Wimborne
Tim Dalling is from Ayr, and a Scottish legend in his own right. He was in The New Rope String Band, and is a solo singer / songwriter with accordion. He was fantastic, and such a joyous, cheerful change from the normal folk support: a serious girl with weighty self-written lyrics, playing stuff you’ve never heard before, who may play guitar, and / or be accompanied by a bloke on guitar. Tim bounced onto stage in his formal grey suit, explained that it was unaccompanied and launched straight into a vocal only Incredible, Miraculous. His voice soared. His onstage banter was great, and I won’t spoil it for future audiences by quoting any.
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