Written By: STEVE LUCAS
Photos By: STEVE LUCAS
A new venue for me – and what a gem. Staffed largely by friendly volunteers with two very well stocked bars, this is a great place for a gig. Before you get into the auditorium, there is a large well-lit, modern bar/café type area. But step into the 350 standing capacity auditorium and you’ll find yourself in a traditional music venue. Stage at one end, big floor space and a bar. I mean, what else do you need? You need some music!
I’ve seen Kit Trigg three or four times before, most recently at last year’s Call of the Wild Festival. They had the unenviable task of kicking things off on the Sunday morning. The weather was doing a bit of everything, but was mostly cold, grey and moist. What’s needed in those circumstances is energy and enthusiasm that can’t be suppressed. That’s exactly what you get from these three guys, and it’s highly contagious.
For those that aren’t familiar with their work, they tend to be tagged as a blues power trio. But that doesn’t really cover it. Dive into their back catalogue and you’ll hear the Hendrix influence for sure, but you’ll also hear grunge and stoner vibes, as well as the skater rock that shapes the way Kit looks. In a bright t-shirt, baggy jeans and bare-footed, he launches in to the Free ‘n’ Easy introduction, the drums and bass join in, and you’re hooked.
Their musical ability grabs your attention, then you notice how much they’re enjoying themselves as performers. They fill the gaps between the first couple of songs with jokes and banter as an introduction to themselves as people. Add the obligatory encouragement for the audience to make some noise when beckoned, and all the ingredients are in place. Talented musicians sharing a stage, but not just with each other, with everyone in the room.
I wasn’t witnessing first night enthusiasm either. This was the twentieth and last night of this run of dates. I spoke to Kit briefly before the gig and he confessed to being ready for a rest. But you absolutely wouldn’t have known it. They banged out a healthy mixture of new and old including my personal favourite from their older stuff, I Gotta Red Strat to their latest single release Snake in the Grass. And in Going for Glory, they’ve got a real anthemic set closer.
I reckon there were about a dozen people in the initial crowd that knew the band before the gig, but at the end of the set there must have been more than a hundred with a Kit Trigg ear worm heading for the bar. I really believe these guys are heading for regular headline slots at festivals and venues across the UK and beyond. But headline or not, you would be foolish to pass up any opportunity to see them.
Get some rest chaps. You deserve it, but don’t leave us waiting too long….
An acoustic guitarist, a bass player, a mandolin player and a banjo player walk into a bar….
… It sounds like the start of a musician’s joke, doesn’t it? Then consider that combination of musicians playing War Pigs and Welcome to the Jungle and you’d be forgiven for being dismissive. That can’t work, right? No drums, no Les Pauls or Stratocasters, no Marshall stacks. That’s the somewhat unlikely premise for a Hayseed Dixie gig.
It’s bordering on lunacy. However, it works. It must do. They’ve been doing it for 25 years. They launch into AC/DC’s Dirty Deed’s Done Dirt Cheap and take you on an hilarious journey that includes Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ as well as Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac, Boney M, Queen, Metallica and many more.
When the tolling bell of AC/DC’s Hell’s Bells is replaced by a hotel reception counter bell, you just have to accept you are in the presence of greatness. My ‘job’ as a gig reviewer is to try and find clever ways of describing a performance, to try and convey the ability of the artist(s) as musicians and performers. But I’m struggling. What I can say is that I was wrong to say it’s bordering on lunacy. What I should have said is that it is a stroke of genius. Throw in a few songs that you may reasonably expect to be traditionally performed on these instruments, and you get a high-quality diverse show. That diversity is reflected in the capacity crowd. In order to get a few snaps, I had to squeeze around battle jacket wearing bikers, well dressed ‘mature’ people, rock-chicks, dungaree wearing farmer types, cowboys and goths. I sincerely hope that no-one takes offence at any of those descriptions – there is absolutely no offence intended. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen a more diverse crowd. That’s not just me embracing the diversity of modern life, it really was who was in the room. There are clearly people who are so committed to the band, that they dressed up for the gig. And I think that’s pretty cool.
But to be a tad more serious for a minute, I must acknowledge that these guys are seriously talented musicians. To be able to turn your hand to such a vast repertoire with that collection of instruments requires real mastery. The comic element of the performance also requires great skill and teamwork. And to make it all look fun and completely natural is truly amazing. I literally tipped my hat to these four gentlemen. They put on an amazing show.
