Thanks very much to VB friend and contributor Roger Regular for his review of Saturday night’s Spring Blues. A great evening was had by all. Ed
A wet and windy Ventnor didn’t stop blues fans attending the 6th annual Spring Blues concert at Ventnor Winter Gardens last Saturday night.
The cabaret style seating and dimmed lights set the scene for the opening act, Damien Paul (pictured right). The Live-Wired finalist showcased a set of acoustic originals from his album ‘Moving Along’, backed by seasoned Island musicians on double bass, violin and harmonica.
A quick change over and The Amen Boogie Blues Band (pictured below) hit the stage, punching out some classic Chicago and British blues.
Fronted by Dave Hollis on lead vocal and blues-harp, the band provided a strong set that included Junior Wells’ ‘Messin’ with the kid’ and Muddy Water’s slow blues ‘Long Distance Call’.
Backed with a solid rhythm section, the band warmed the appreciative audience for the headline act.
Big Joe Louis (pictured below) and his Blues Kings had the dancers on their feet from their opening number. The authentic 50s stripped down blues sound had an air of rock’n’roll to it, augmented by their sharp suits and quiffed hair.
Playing songs from his albums ‘Big Sixteen’ and ‘The Stars in the Sky’, the band was clearly enjoying their trip to Ventnor.
The second set opened with Jamaican-born Big Joe Louis performing three solo numbers, captivating the audience with his huge blues vocals.
The Blues Kings, Pete Greatorex, drums, ‘King’ David, guitar, and the superb Steve ‘Wes’ Weston, harmonicas, joined him to finish the evening, with a notable highlight of Memphis Minnie’s ‘What’s the matter with the mill’ given the full Chicago-blues treatment.
All in all, another successful night and Amen Promotions have done a sterling job in bringing some of the UK’s best blues artistes to the Island. They take great care with these events which we are all t hankful for.
I wait with great anticipation for the next event.
The Winter Gardens benefited from this well supported event. To keep these venues alive, we need to support them or we will lose them.
Roger Regular
You can see all of Roger’s shots from the night over on his Flickr page
