STAN WEBB'S CHICKEN SHACK 25TH JULY 2008

Years ago my daughter, during arguments fuelled by teenage angst, would often scream “You just don’t get it, do you!”  During Chicken Shack’s 80 minute set my mind was called back to those days whilst viewing the expressions etched on the faces of some of the admirable people who volunteer their time to organise events at KBC.  Let’s be honest about this, Stan Webb is an unreconstructed late ‘60s, British blues/rock guitarist and should be lauded, nay, listed as a national treasure for being just such.  Fortunately, he hasn’t had his brain fried by a cocktail of chemicals, neither has he changed, chameleon-like, as the years rolled by to keep himself in the lime-light by following the latest fad like so many of his contemporaries.  He is what he is and should be enjoyed as such.  It was all there – evidence of imbibing a few ‘larynx looseners’ before the gig; a liberal smattering of (shall we say) less-than-acceptable-in-polite-company ancient Norse and Anglo Saxon; comments about the “bloodletting” antics of revellers at chucking out time in Yorkshire boozers; he even managed to rent asunder the ancient pair of jeans he was wearing, although, thankfully, he didn’t feel the need to expose what lay beneath to the masses!   In the '60s and '70s (ie when we were young!) this sort of stuff was part of the entertainment - I remember seeing the Edgar Broughton Band when the drummer collapsed, his place being taken by a roadie, and everybody cheered.  Free at St. George’s Hall, Bradford is memorable for Paul Kossoff having to prop himself up on his amp for, had he attempted to move away he’d have fallen flat on his face he was so out of it.  It was all part of the fun.  Now, as our sensitivities mature with age, we tend to disapprove of such antics.  Stan is still stuck in that era and as long as people accept him as such then they'll be entertained.  Thankfully, the vast majority of the punters obviously knew what they were going to get and reveled in it. You could have heard a pin drop between the numbers so intent were people not to miss what Stan was going to come out with next.  He is a consummate entertainer and a very witty man who knows what he is and loves being just that.  The only slightly incongruous moment was when he did his cabaret style walkabout during the obligatory rendition of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’.  Looking almost as embarrassed as some of the ladies he approached, he seemed mighty relieved when he’d finished.  Musically, stand out moments were ‘The Thrill Is Gone’, a regular in his live set and a song that is now just as much his own as it is BB King’s; Lowell Fulson’s classic ‘Reconsider Baby’; a tribute to his mother (the title escapes me) during which he very effectively incorporated the Nine Inch Nails song ‘Hurt’, sung Johnny Cash style and for an encore, with the volume at an ear shattering Spinal Tap level, a terrific version of his own ‘Daughter Of The Hillside’.  Eventually, after tumultuous applause sincerely acknowledged by Stan, the band were allowed to leave the stage.  Afterwards, in the dressing room, Stan was heard to comment “What lovely people”.  We are, Stan, and you’re not bad either. (Blues In Britain magazine).

THE ELEVATORS 29TH FEBRUARY 2008 

This being Feb 29th and a leap year, and a wet and stormy night too boot, it was perhaps surprising to see any females at the club at all, but they were actually out in force and some of them even danced, so encouraging was the music played by The Elevators. And considering they played the previous night in some kind of time warp at  Bilerikay, Essex, they were surprisingly in good form. At the end of the gig, they played a four song encore, such was the enthusiasm of the crowd.

The Elevators are:

Martin Robinson: Bass

I must admit to having enjoyed myself from their first number. Experiece and talent has no substitute and I can say I heard not one bum note all night.  Phil Greaves on his beautiful Gibson 333 cherry had my full attention throughout, and I loved hearing the influences on his style, which I'd say were elements of  Peter Green and Eric Clapton with undertones of his Gibson/ Marshall combination. Thats not to say the other members were untalented, this was a perfectly balanced outfit, everyone having a good crack at the music, having a good time for every minute of the gig. So much fun was Fran Galpin (vocals) having that at times he had no option but to laugh through several vocal lines as he cracked up mid verse over some on stage banter. I could analyse the other members, but there is little point, its just that I personally love the sound the Gibson makes. In fact I did make the comment to the guys next to me, I could listen to that sound all day and all night.

Also, thanks must go to Diamond Dac for kicking off the night with an eclectic mix of numbers.

Two brillant sets then, well balanced and paced , superbly delivered and absolutuely no one in the gents toilets, which is where most of the critical discussuion takes place, had any complaints.( read that carefully!) 

I would just like to finish by issuing a warning (and an appology) to anyone  making their way into the aforementioned toilets to be beware of the door of the gents flying open and hitting you slap in the face, which it can (and did) do iwhen enthusiastic male blues fans who are exiting the facilities meet with more desperate blues fans of either gender wishing to make urgent use of the facilties.

Elevators web site to ponder http://www.elevatorsweb.com/ 

the king 

THE STUMBLE 13TH JULY 2007

Ron Beaumont.