Blues Weekend ends on a high note for everyone
Victoria Olson
THE only gig people had to pay for over the whole Blues Weekend was the finale concert in the Stromness Hotel, but the chance to see all four visiting acts, plus local band Blue Rooster, was worth the ticket price.
Along with the raffle and collection buckets going round the pubs, this event is also one of the only fundraisers for the mini-festival, so it was good to see it being well supported by visitors and locals.
PETER NARDINI. Picture Orkney Photographic.
Starting things off was Glasgow singer songwriter Peter Nardini, whose storytelling songs showed a quirky sense of humour that quickly endeared him to the audience.
A lot of his numbers made the most of his distinctive Glaswegian accent, including ‘She Said Is That Right?’, a song Peter said was written to commemorate the transformation of Glasgow to something that smelled better for it’s European Year of Culture in 1990, and a song about a freeloader going a bit too far.
Other hits with the crowd included ‘By the Way’, written after a chance meeting with a drunk person in a Glasgow pub, ‘I Think it was December’ and ‘Another Sunday Morning’. One of his more touching numbers was the rather enchanting ‘A Kiss From Wishaw Cross’, written for his daughter after she moved to America with her boyfriend.
Peter finished his set with ‘Amy Whinehouse’, a fitting tribute to the singer who’s so publicly fallen from grace in the past year. He even asked the audience to join in with the catchy chorus: “This song’s called Amy Whinehouse, I wrote it about you. I know you could write a finer song, and I hope some day you do’.
Singer and guitarist Keith Christmas was up next and with his easy going banter he immediately developed a good rapport with the audience.
Starting with his own Mississippi Delta Blues number ‘Heart Soul Body and Mind’, which revoked the old blues classics with a good use of slide guitar, he continued to play a mix of old and new songs: ‘A Line is a Line, ‘Good for Me’, ‘Duty Days’ – in which Keith got away with having his bass E string tuned to D at the start – and ‘Western Man’, played especially for Walter Gorman.
Another number that went down well with the crowd was ‘Customs Man’, which Keith said was written about a man who used to service the fast ‘cigarette’ boats used by smugglers and police in Miami Vice.
I was also pleased when Keith played one of my favourite songs from the whole festival, a beautiful love song written for his girlfriend on their anniversary: ‘Why You Fell In Love With Me’.
Another highlight was the second public performance of ‘The Words That Will Never Be Spoken’ – the first was at the Standing Stones Hotel the night before.
Keith said had been writing this song, a sad but beautiful ballad, for a while but finally managed to finish the last verse in his room at the Stromness Hotel on Friday.
He finished by lightening the mood with a song that required people to clap along and stop at the right time or buy him a drink – he got at least one drink out of it!
BLUE ROOSTER. Picture Tom O'Brien.
Things got a bit louder with the next act, as local trio Blue Rooster – Ian Cooper on guitar and vocals, John Adams on bass and Pete Phillips on drums – took to the stage.
They played old favourites by the likes of Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, including ‘Cocaine’, ‘White Room and ‘Little Wing, ‘Pride and Joy’ ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ and ‘Crossroads’.
As usual, they went down well with the audience, and it was during their set that the first dancers of the night took to the floor.
STEVEY HAY. Picture Tom O'Brien.
As the night wore on, the tempo was upped even more, first with Stevey Hay and the Rayvons, who sounded the best they had all weekend and enticed even more people on to the dance floor.
After a set full of rockin’ blues numbers, it was time for the last group of the night, headline act the Son Henry Band.
SON HENRY BAND. Picture Tom O'Brien.
Accompanying the Alaskan-born guitarist and singer Son Henry, one of world’s few lap steel guitarists was Dean Stewart playing bass and Kevin Oliphant on drums.
Their original songs include the rather funky and very catchy ‘Heartache and Trouble’, ‘Long Way Home’ and ‘Well Well Well’, but they also covered a few blues classics that were appreciated by the audience.
The perfect end to this most Blues filled Weekend was when Stevie Hay and the Rayvons and the Son Henry Band joined forces for a bit of a jam.
I don’t think anyone would disagree that the Blues Weekend 2008 can be chalked up as another success. After the dust had settled, Orkney Today spoke to the Blues Weekend Committee chairman and secretary, Bernie and Mike Bell.
“The Blues Weekend is about giving people a lot of fun and there was a lovely atmosphere all weekend,” said Bernie. “Everything went well and the equipment was all where it was supposed to be. It’s the result of a whole year’s work but it’s still amazing that it all comes together. The music was good, everyone was being nice and dancing and enjoying themselves.”
Mike said: “I think the thing to emphasise is just how friendly and welcoming Orkney is to this kind of event and how much people who come to the county for it enjoy it – and that includes the bands!
“It always comes across as one of the friendliest festivals of this kind. People who come up for the Blues Weekend not only want to come to the event again, they often want to visit Orkney at other times too.”
“And the weather has been kind to us,” added Bernie. “If it was thrashing with rain and howling wind people would have gone into a pub and stayed there, but because it was so nice they were able to wander about from gig to gig and chat outside in the sun.”
Bernie and Mike both agreed that one of the highlights of their Blues Weekend was watching Keith Christmas in the Standing Stones Hotel on Saturday.
Mike said: “There was a small but appreciative audience and we thought it was lovely to have a little peaceful bit in the middle of all the more high energy goings on.”
Bernie added: “And Keith liked it as well, it was more like a group of friends in a pub than a concert, there was a really nice, relaxed, intimate atmosphere.”
She also said that she was especially impressed with Walter Gorman’s organising of the finale concert, where each act took the decibels up slightly, from Peter Nardini to the high energy of Stevie Hay and Son Henry.
A ‘mop-up’ meeting is due to take place on October 1, where the committee will discuss this year’s event and future plans, including whether it will go ahead next year.
But don’t worry too much, as Mike said: “There are too many people interested in the Blues Weekend for it not to happen!”
Tags: Review