Steve's
Place
Dave
Bronze
on tour
with
Andy Fairweather
-Low
2 REVIEWS
and pictures
5 November The Stables, Wavendon,
Milton Keynes
A Senior
Moment at The Stables!
Show six
of ten on this short whistle-stop tour of the UK for Andy Fairweather-Low
and his band featuring Dave Bronze. We’re at The Stables in Wavendon on
the outskirts of the great new city of Milton Keynes.
It’s a
small, intimate, acoustically refined, custom-built theatre. Something
we are very lucky to have here in Herts, Beds and Bucks as they call it
[Northern Home Counties, 40 miles north west of London].
Tonight’s
show is a seating-room only affair with the usual welcoming ‘strictly no
photography, strictly no mobile phones’ pre-show announcement. Support
act Jane Taylor has got not one but two supporting players with her tonight,
a double bassist [a 5-stringer with bow and arrows] and a cellist. Jane
has got a great voice and some ornate ideas running through her 30-minute
set of acoustic love songs.
Roughly
the same set for Andy and the band, as delivered at The Robin 2. The big
surprise is no ‘One More Rocket’ or ‘Don’t Stand’ at the end. However,
we do get two Lonnie Donegan’s [Andy sang ‘em with the Chris Barber Band
in this very theatre, a year or so ago] and ‘I Don’t Need’ from the new
album.
At the
heart of the set are the three stand-out tracks, IMHO, from that new album
‘Sweet Soulful Music’. They are ‘Hymn 4 My Soul’, ‘Ashes and Diamonds’
and the title track. Once again, Andy strikes up an instant rapport with
the audience. Tonight is quite a laid back affair yet the whole thing is
easy without being too comfortable, smug or sentimental.
Dave appears
to be playing a giant gold medal with strings. Yes, he’s back on that electric
double bass but he alternates this with, what looks like, a semi-acoustic
Gibson / Epiphone. You know, like the one on the front cover of ‘Axe Victim’?
Once again,
Andy’s guitar playing steals the show but, for me, what he’s playing tonight
is better than anything you’ll hear from him accompanying such peers as
Mr Wyman, Mr Waters or Mr Clapton. The nearest we get to ‘Alethea’ is ‘Reggae
Tune’ and ‘La Booga Rooga’ as Andy shows he can work it with a Wah-Wah
too!
The sound
quality at this show, thanks to the crew is blissfully perfect from the
second front row. Paul Beavis’ drums, Wix’s keyboards and DB’s backing
vocals are all crystal clear tonight.
We’re here
for ‘Champagne Melody’, ‘Spider Jiving’ and ‘Wide Eyed and Legless’ having
never imagined we’d get the chance to hear them ‘live’! As Dave points
out “Andy has not performed under his own name for 20 odd years”. Pity
– Andy, Dave, Wix, Paul - you sent us all home very happy tonight! Onward
ever onward to the grand finale – London, Manchester, Gateshead, Edinburgh
- God speed!
Alan Howard,
Guy Fawkes’ Night 2006
26 October
Robin 2, Bilston
October
26, 2006
In an EXCLUSIVE
for ‘Steve’s Place’ our intrepid UK Agent, Alan Howard reports on Andy
Fairweather Low at The Robin 2, Bilston, Wolverhampton, England 26 October
2006 featuring Dave Bronze on basses!
After
a gruelling 23-show tour across the United States and Canada with Robin
Trower, Laurie Brace, Steve Russell and Dave Bronze were back on the road
in Olde Blighty last night for show number one of the 2006 Andy Fairweather-Low
UK Tour!
And where
better to start than slap bang in the middle of the country - we call it
the Midlands - at the excellent Robin 2, Bilston, on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.
Now I’d bought Andy Fairweather Low’s infamous 'La Booga Rooga' album back
in the 70s and loved it. Of course, Andy was no stranger to the spotlight
even then [having started his career leading 60s pop legends, Amen Corner]
but boy did he have what it takes to do something magical with a tune and
some words.
So with
this in mind, I bought 'Sweet
Soulful Music' when it came out, this summer. Wow! 30 years on, older
and wiser he may be but the songs on this new CD are simply divine. Moving
on from the funk-edge that was 'Rooga', I'd say 'Soulful' is more rootsy,
vaguely Cooder-esque. So you could say I was kindda looking forward to
hearing Andy play live.
Andy and
the band took to the stage just after 9.30. Alongside ‘the wonderful’ Mr
DB was Paul Davis on drums and Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens on keyboards and accordion.
Dave was
using a bass I’d never seen before and a smaller Mark Bass speaker than
on the RT tour. He also made use of an electric double bass for almost
half the numbers
on tonight’s
set. [I’d be interested to know how it performs on ‘Bridge of Sighs’?
Ha, ha].
Andy
had a vast battery of guitars which he used to great effect, with a bit
of help from Mr Russell! Now I was already convinced about Andy in the
song-writing and singing departments but what impressed me about him most
tonight was his sweet solo’ing guitar playing. The band was tight, playing
with plenty of light and shade. I doubt very much whether Paul Beavis was
even born when ‘Rooga’ was all the rage but he handled the sticks like
a seasoned pro at a reunion gig. Wix’s keyboards seemed to come up with
just about every sound and setting you could imagine. It was great to hear
some improvisation
played
on something other than a guitar too.
Dave expertly
handled many of the backing vocal duties, singing more than even I’m used
to [a la Trower]. And why not, he has a great voice!
Following
the Fairweather fashion, tonight’s set was a highly eclectic selection
of numbers from blues to reggae, skiffle to pop, old and new. Just seven
of the 21 songs were from the new CD and brilliant live they were too!
Allegedly,
the band had rehearsed for just five days. On the evidence of tonight’s
show, I’d say five years more like! UK fans – if you get the chance, do
get out and see this band on tour. US fans – make sure you add the new
CD ‘Sweet Soulful Music’ to your collection. I recommend it!
Set list: Since
I Laid My Burden Down; Natural Sinner; Reggae Tune; Spider Jiving; Champagne
Melody; Zazzy; Hymn 4 My Soul; When I Grow Too Old To Dream; La Booga Rooga;
Sweet Soulful Music; Down the Line; My Baby left Me; Worried Man Blues;
Gin House; Bright Lights, Big City; Ashes And Diamonds; One More Rocket;
Wide Eyed And Legless [First encore] Bend Me, Shape Me; If Paradise Is
Half As Nice [Second Encore] Don’t Stand