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Reviews
Pictures from Mick Clarke and Storm Warning on 20th January 2006
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Pictures from Sinnerboy and Chris Newman on 16th December 2005
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Russell "Hitman" Alexander & Storm Warning At The Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury
20/05/05
Storm Warning took to the stage at this lovely, sold out, venue before an expectant audience. I've reviewed their shows in the recent past (see Issue 37 with Ray Dorset on the cover & Issue 41 as part of the Tring Festival), so I'll just note that this was a shorter version, to set the scene for the "Hitman". Some numbers have had small improvements added to their arrangements and the band was on top form this evening. You will have also read about Hitman's background in Issue 41, so straight to the concert review.
After the interval, the regular hired guns, in the shape of Roger Willis - drums, Derek White - Bass and Ian Salisbury - Keyboards from Storm Warning were there with an "all in black" Hitman. On this occasion though Bob Moore - Guitar also joined the band. They took straight off with a track called "Green Thing" about a bar that didn't take credit cards and set to the tune of "Green Onions"/"Help Me" and you can find that on his Blooztown CD. Hitman plays an amazing two tone blue
Oscar Schmidt guitar, on which he produced a cracking slide solo, we also got more than our fair share of Organ solo from Ian. A slow blues followed, called "It's Raining Up In Harlem" and on this Bob added the delicious guitar solo.|
The third number had a
nice New Orleans beat to it and then we had a song inspired by the Long
Island Freeway, which seems to be comparable to our M25! Son Maxwell crept
out of the shadows to do a Harmonica solo, so now we were rocking with a
full six piece band. Obviously time to add a seventh, which came in the form
of 12 year old, Krissy Matthews. He joined the band for Willie Dixon's "I'm
Ready" and received a rapturous applause for his solo, even Hitman commented
that he couldn't play that at the age of 20 let alone 12! Well we needed to cool down and a slow Blues called "Two Minute Warning" was just the ticket. |
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Both Son Maxwell and Ian Salisbury got to do some fine solos on a track called "Fine Piece Of Merchandise" from the new CD "Angel In The Shadows". Hitman has a penchant for story telling blues songs and we heard "Drinking My Blues Away" and "
I Know That You Love Me" again both from the new CD.It was back to a cover of the classic "Mean Mistreater" for a fast number to close, but we got them all back for an encore, and a great raunchy blues version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou". This incorporated some Hendrix licks and extracts from one or two other classic rock songs, bringing to a close an exceptional night.
Paul Stiles www.oxfordblues.info - Blues in Britain July 2005 issue. To subscribe to Blues in Britain visit; www.bluesinbritain.org
Rocking the Blues at the Limelight Friday 17th December 2004
Blue Bishops + Storm Warning
I had seen these two bands in the previous few months in Oxford and High Wycombe - so you know this review will be a positive one or I wouldn't have ventured out to see them again! However, I hadn't been to The Limelight before. Following a full sell out trial back in October, the organisers decided to put a Blues event on every third Friday in the month. It's a lovely character building with a good auditorium, stage, pa and lighting. You get to see and hear the bands in their best setting. Book your tickets early though, I managed to get one of the last 10 for this gig, the others sold out within a few hours. The bar is well stocked, although the real ale - straight from the barrel - didn't quite match demand!
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Storm Warning did a short set to kick off a lively evening. They started with a cover of John Mayall's - "Pieces and Parts" and before long we were rumbling through "Long Grey Mare" a la Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Vocals and Harp are by Stuart ‘Son’ Maxwell, guitarist Bob "Mad Dog" Moore, Ian Salisbury on keyboards, Roger Willis and Derek White in the engine room producing a tight and formidable rhythm section playing drums and bass respectively. The band tried out some new material on us that night as well as some dodgy Christmas jokes. "Bullets" came with a little tale about its inspiration - the Eurostar. This is a great fast tempo number and a great addition to the repertoire. |
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Two tracks
from their current EP were featured, "Love So Deep" a Walter
Trout cover with a nice piano solo and "She Moves Me" the Muddy
Waters classic. They wound up with "Don't Start Me Talkin' -
Sonny Boy Williamson and off we went happily to the bar while
the Blue Bishops prepared.
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The Blue Bishops opened straight off the blocks with a great rendition of “Train Kept A Rollin’” and cruised straight into I’m A Mover – Free. We heard three of their own compositions off the current CD “Deep”, which incidentally was selling like hot cakes after the gig. They did “Words Left Unsaid”, “No Religious Man” and Slim Harpo’s “Hipshake Boogie”, and also “Place In Time” which isn’t on the CD. |
Slower tracks were included, especially notable was Duster Bennet’s “Jumping At Shadows”. Martin Turner did a great Bass intro to “Take Me To The River”, although I’m stuck with the vision of an animated fish singing this song! We heard marvellous renditions of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” with a tremendous guitar solo from Ben Smith on a wonderful Cherry Red Gibson. Simon Burrett got his turn at a guitar solo with the closing Fleetwood Mac number “Stop Messin’ Around”. Vocals, Guitar and Harmonica are very ably handled by Geoff Grange and the band are backed up by Justin Hildreth on Drums. The full capacity crowd had them back for an encore when they let rip with “Let The Good Times Roll”. They certainly did and the audience all went home with a big smile on their faces.
Paul
Stiles
www.oxfordblues.info
Rocking the Blues at the Limelight Friday 10th September 2004
Mick Abrahams band + Storm Warning
The first night of ‘Rocking the Blues' at the Limelight’ was full to capacity. Local people in Aylesbury, have been starved of live blues recently and a chance to see this Storm Warning and The Mick Abrahams Band in one night, was something not to be missed.
Storm Warning supporting Mick Abrahams Band, provided the night with some classy blues which started with John Mayall’s ‘Pieces and Parts’ and Robert Cray’s ‘Won the Battle’. They got a rousing applause on Keb Mo’s ‘Dangerous Mood’ and they played an original acoustic number ‘Big Man’ which involved acoustic guitar and acoustic bass, blazing harmonica and three time signature changes. Other numbers included Muddy Waters ‘She Moves Me’ which got guitarist Bob Mad Dog Moore a huge applause after his solo midway through the song. Two Delbert McClinton songs followed, lifting the tempo and pace with 'New York City' and the funky 'Lie No Better'.
Storm Warning finished with Robben Ford’s Prison of Love and unexpectedly, for a support band, got such a reaction, they had to come back and do one more number, which was an unplanned, funky version of Lucky Peterson ‘Sea of Love’.
The Mick Abrahams Band launched into ‘You Got It Wrong’ followed by the title track from the Mick Abrahams Band ‘Lies’ cd. This three piece band packs a punch, with Mick’s Gordon Smith guitar biting the air, in yer face style. Mick Abrahams is fond of using traditional songs and re arranging them, and making them his own, as on ‘Jesus on the Mainline’ and ‘Billy the Kid’ from the ‘All Said And Done’ album.
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Mick had the audience in laughing fits with his anecdotes, particularly about his recent operation. On a serious note he paid tribute to Alexis Korner and his Mum, who had recently past away, and played some lovely moving guitar lines on ‘I Wonder Who’. One of Mick Abrahams strengths is his ability to mix blues, jazz, country and rock guitar together and he showed how he can rock it up on the traditional instrumental Cat’s Squirrel, from Jethro Tull’s ‘This Was’ album. The set continued with ‘Deadmans Hill’, again from the ‘Lies’ cd and ‘Trouble in Mind’ with great passion from the guitar and immaculate drumming from Graham Walker. On bass, was the well travelled Jim Rodford, standing in without any rehearsal for John ‘Guinness’ Gordon, and he played the part superbly.
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The set finished with ‘Going Down Slow’ and applause from an ecstatic audience that could have gone on all night. The band returned for the encore and played ‘Rock Me’, rocking the night away. To say the whole evening went very well would be an understatement, and the crowd went away excited about the next gig on December 17th with The Blue Bishops - Don't miss it - Get your tickets now!!!