Band Members:
Gary Brooker, p, voc
Andy Fairweather Low, git, voc
Dave Bronze, bass
Frank Mead, sax, harmonica, voc, percussions
Paul Beavis, drums
It's three whole years since Gary Brooker's "other" band, the fab No Stiletto Shoes, has played its Christmas shows, which have a wonderful atmosphere and feature fantastic R&B playing!
No longer able to use the habitual venue* near his home in Surrey (*which was the former Chiddingfold Club), Gary has agreed to play two gigs at the Riga Music Bar in Southend-on-Sea. I was lucky to attend the gig on 12 December 2010.
Fotos und mehr dazu gibt es auch auf der Procol Harum/Beyond the Pale Webseite. Die Webmaster haben freundlicherweise meinen Konzertbericht (in abgespeckter Form) verwendet sowie einige meiner Fotos auf ihrer Seite eingestellt.
Links:
Gudrun Schwartz's illustrated review (1)
Fotos Teil 1 Fotos Teil 2 Fotos Teil 3 Fotos Teil 4
I added another day to my UK visit and went to see 'No Stiletto Shoes', Gary Brooker's 'other' band in Southend on Sea, The Riga Music Bar. According to the Riga Bar website, this show would certainly sell out, so I queued early for my ticket. All went well, and I was even able to get to the front row. What stroke me first, was the warm welcome by the lovely doorman who wished everybody a great evening. I noticed lots of people who seemed to know each other, certainly a Procol Harum/Gary Brooker 'In-Crowd' from all over the country and abroad.
Before the show started a DJ played good-time music from the Sixties, everybody sang along and was in good mood. Hogan's Heroes had played this venue earlier, and meanwhile the Riga people have installed a new PA system which provided a better sound.
The band was introduced by Mick Brownlee, former drummer with The Paramounts (The Paramounts were an English beat group, based in Southend-on-Sea. They had one hit single with their cover version of "Poison Ivy", which reached #35 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964, but are primarily known as the fore-runner to Procol Harum).
Again, thanks to the BtP people for putting up the setlist - I wouldn't have recalled all the songs without their help. The band played 2 sets with a short interval (where Gary went out for a smoke, others enjoyed a drink). Among the set list were many songs I've heard before by Andy Fairweather Low's band The Low Riders or the Rhythm Kings. It was good to see Frank Mead again, member of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, who was awesome on various instruments and also on vocals! He got much attention and stepped forward to the centre of the stage many times which he obviously enjoyed.
Andy Fairweather Low was in great shape, his excellent guitar work should be mentioned, also good to see Dave Bronze and Paul Beavis again who are members of Andy's Low Riders.
Gary Brooker enjoyed the show, the spark jumped over immediately when they started with TEQUILA - the audience acted as a great vocal section on more than one song and some people even enjoyed a dance. To my pleasure, the first song of the encore was GOOD NIGHT IRENE which is one of my all-time favourites, done by different artists. I had heard it last time by Gary Brooker on the Chiddingfold Show-Down Gig with Albert & HHs some years back.
The last song was of course A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, an absolute MUST, a great tune and a fantastic way to end the show.
Later Gary kindly signed me a CD cover. I also had the opportunity to have a few words with Frank who asked me if I enjoyed the show with these great musicians. Frank will play with the Rhythm Kings in January again so I will see him again before too long. Finally, we exchanged Christmas wishes, I said good night to him and his wife and I made my way back to the hotel.
ps. The ticket fee was 20 pounds and worth every penny for such great musicians!
________________________
Thanks again to the BtP people for putting up the setlist with their comments:
1 Tequila
The arrangements were mostly identical to those heard on Friday night at
Ewhurst, but the effect on this third outing, was more relaxed
2 No Money Down
3 Mary Ann
4 She’s Tough
Tremendous again, with Frank's brutal laughter in the oddly-timed rhythm-gaps
5 (Brief guitar instrumental)
One round of a well-known sixties instrumental tune, impromptu, guitar and bass
6 Travelling Light
‘The old Cliff Richard classic’
7 Too Much Monkey Business
Starting off with the first chords of Apache; Paul Beavis playing the offbeats on the rim of the kick drum: very effective
8 Route 66
Andy explains (using a Welsh idiom) how he used to absent himself from school to learn this song. Dave comments that in English that’s called ‘bunking off’. The band debates the difference between a ‘bunk off’ and a ‘bunk up’ and concludes that the one frequently involves the other. The song itself breaks down for a moment when Andy loses his amplification.
9 Unchain My Heart
10 Youngblood
11 Lightning Boogie
The Lightning Hopkins instrumental, again introduced as Chelmsford Bridge for cacographic reasons
12 You Got me Running
Including two rounds of rhythm-section solo. Andy: ‘It’s the songs that make us sound good’
13 Shotgun - Extraordinarily fine alto solo from Frank Mead, man of the match
14 Sea Cruise
15 I Want to Walk you Hom
Segue into next number ...
16 Blueberry Hill ... also by Fats Domino
17 Will the Circle Be Unbroken / Lay My Burden Down
Gary’s piano solo mutates amusingly into Bye Bye Blackbird
18 You Can’t Judge a Book …
19 Wide Eyed and Legless
20 Poison Ivy
Some debate about the key: GB starts in A, the others in G. When he performed this with The Palers’ Band in Denmark (2006) it was in A, though he then expressed a (mild) preference for G
The Chain
Just the riff, first on the piano and then (in a different key) on the bass. Dave describes Paul as ‘a Jim Carrey look-alike’.
BtP has already concluded that he is also a fine Jeremy Hardy look-alike. Gary describes Andy as, ‘A fine spirit to be close to, even though he’s from Wales’
21 Let it Shine on Me
Andy, acoustic guitar; Frank, jaw’s harp, later bones. Segue (after a bit of palaver including a GB piano solo somewhat reminiscent of Mrs Mills, curtailed when Andy challenged him, ‘Aren’t you going to follow the plot?’) into ...
22 Bring Me Li'l Water, Silvy
Leadbelly skiffle feature
23 Old Black Joe
24 Goodnight Irene
25 A Whiter Shade of Pale
GB, organ throughout, starting with the intro from the 1967 45 rpm arrangement. Two verses.
Flughafen noch einmal begrüßen und ihm persönlich die Ehre erweisen durften.
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