ORKNEY BLUES FESTIVAL
By Tony Winfield & Sue Hickling
Friday 19th – Sunday 21st September 2008
The Orkney Isles, off the north coast of Scotland, host one of our favourite Blues festivals. Based mainly in Stromness at three venues – The Stromness Hotel, The Ferry Inn and The Royal Hotel – there were four artists from the mainland and six Orkney bands. As always, the bands performed in more than one venue during the weekend. The first act for us was festival survivor Keith Christmas.
Our vinyl collection includes two albums of Keith’s from the early-70s, which perfectly demonstrate his prolific songwriting talents. These days his music is more Blues orientated, while retaining his unique style, drawing influences from the early days in the Delta. Keith is a very accomplished musician with a melodic fingerpicking acoustic guitar style and a good vocal range. He sang a memorable collection of his own songs, from stirring ballads to upbeat country Blues.
Next up, with two sets that went long into the night, were Edinburgh based Stevey Hay And The Rayvons. As their name suggests, there was more than a nod of tribute to a certain Mr Vaughan and Double Trouble, but they played a good mix of rock and Blues that had the discerning Orcadian music fans dancing in every available space. A solid rhythm section with neat guitar work by Stevey Hay and complimented by Angus Rose on keyboards.
Saturday’s entertainment kicked off with excellent local band Last Train. A true feast for any Blues gourmet, as their set list demonstrated an extensive insight into Blues history by unearthing many gems from little known artists. Fabulous musicians, with a very tight sound, all six band members gave a first class performance, in particular vocalist Kevin Coffey, guitarist Robert McGregor and Mike Fairbairn on harp. We were shocked to find out later that it was only their second gig together.
We left the Stromness Hotel and headed to the Royal Hotel for a solo set by Alaska born Son Henry. Son is one of our favourite artists, and Orkney seems to bring out the very best in him. In our opinion, the best lap steel guitarist on the circuit, and just as handy on a standard axe – whether it be acoustic or electric. He played a relaxed set, his original numbers grounded in authentic Delta Blues, the lyrics holding the audience, as did the wonderful tales that he told between numbers.
In stark contrast, local band BWB gave one of the most energetic sets of the weekend. Frontman Sinclair Bremner on vocals gave an energetic in your face performance, with powerful backing from the band and, notably, some excellent guitar from John Pettigrew. They put a modern twist on old classics and the crowd were particularly delighted when they covered a couple of Joe Bonamassa songs.
To round off the evening in The Royal Hotel, Son Henry took to the small stage again – this time with his band, featuring Dean Stewart on bass and Kevin Oliphant on drums. This set was more up tempo with a selection of rocking Blues covers, as well as original numbers from his recent and forthcoming albums. With several changes of guitar, including the awesome lap steel, they blazed through numbers such as ‘Granite City Shuffle’ – written for the folk of Aberdeen; ‘I Don’t Want To Be Your Dog’ from the upcoming album; and, by popular demand, a stunning version of ‘Voodoo Chile’.
Sunday afternoon saw us in The Royal Hotel once again for another local band, The Bad Liars. The vision of vocalist Lorraine McBrearty in a purple and black ball gown promised something different from the usual Blues-rock. The five-piece band, complete with a double bass, gave a ’40s style swing accompaniment to Lorraine’s authentic vocals on many old favourites, including ‘Summertime’, ‘New Day’, Cry Me A River’ and ‘Blue Moon Of Kentucky’. A particular favourite of ours was their unique arrangement of Jagger/Richards’ ‘Out Of Time’.
We have become accustomed to the inherent musical talent on Orkney, but we were amazed – yet again! – when the next local band, Bad Taste, began to play. A new four-piece band who had little time to practice together, they impressed everyone. Vocalist Ian Craigie, at times, had the sound and stage presence of a young Paul Rodgers, while guitarist Andrew Tulloch played with the ease and confidence of an old master. Ably backed by Marcus Cordock on bass and Dylan Pepper on drums, it was hard to grasp that these boys were all still in their late teens, such was the maturity of their performance. The audience were wildly appreciative of their arrangements of Cream, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix and ’70s classics, together with some Chicago Blues standards. Ian’s rendition of FREE’s ‘Wishing Well’ was the highlight of the set.
The finale of the weekend took place in the function room of the Stromness Hotel. Starting off the evening in front of an expanding crowd was Glaswegian Peter Nardini. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player, Peter delivered a new dimension to British Blues. His songs are stories put to music – some topical, some amusing and some touching. He kept the audience rapt as his stories unfolded, and we enjoyed them all, especially ‘A Kiss From Wishaw Cross’ and ‘By The Way’. Definitely one to see if you get the chance.
In a similar vein, Keith Christmas was up next with his brand of enthralling storytelling. Another excellent set, telling tales and making friends with the audience. We especially enjoyed ‘Why You Fell In Love With Me’, a love song he wrote for his girlfriend and witnessing the début of a brand new song. Keith had been writing ‘The Words That Will Never Be Spoken’ for a while, and found the inspiration from the Isles to finish it. Amazing!
Local band Blue Rooster followed and offered a change in tempo and volume, which had the dancers on their feet. These were one of our favourite bands from last year’s revelries and tighter than ever, with Ian Cooper showing absolute mastery on guitar and John Adams and Pete Phillips producing the powerhouse rhythm. They confidently blazed through a variety of covers, including Hendrix and Cream. These guys have quite a following across the islands and beyond.
Stevey Hay And The Rayvons charged through another rocking set, their best of the weekend, as appreciated by the lively dancers and crowd. This time they included more of their own material, which went down as well, as did their proficient covers.
The Son Henry Band brought the evening to an end in spectacular style. No two gigs are ever the same with this guy and, once again, we were treated to a mix of old, new, original and arranged – as only this man can. Spontaneous, fun and bursting with energy, the magic of Orkney does something to him and the set was truly electric. Son claims he drinks a certain caffeine based soft drink to calm down!
Throughout the weekend, the artists mingled freely with the festival goers. There’s no backstage – this is no place for divas. It’s an experience unlike any other festival, and enjoyed by all.
Tags: Review