10th October 2021
The Atkinson
(Southport Blues Festival)
The Southport Blues, Rhythm and Rock Festival (to give it its full name) is one of a number of similar events held throughout the country, promoted by Solid Entertainments. How long there has been an edition in Southport I have been unable to ascertain (this could even have been the first), although I did discover the upcoming Cleethorpes stop is being billed as a tenth anniversary bash.
Just eighty bods I counted in the auditorium of The Atkinson, Southport this evening (the place holds 400), so even accounting for any absent Covid-Scaredy-cats, there must be at least a modicum of doubt that Southport will appear on the promoter's 2022 roster.
I have been in sparsely populated gigs before, and generally I have found artistes simply ignore the fact and get on with things.
But Kyla Brox here committed the cardinal sin of not only drawing attention to the fact, but compounded her folly by suggesting the low attendance was in someway our fault; for failing to "tell our friends". I knew that I for one had certainly travelled a darn sight further than she had to attend this shindig, I thought to my self.
Kyla certainly houses a big bluesy voice, and we also learned that she and her band of talented musicians are reigning European Blues Challenge champions. I never even knew that was a thing.
Her picking up a flute during a couple of tunes added a welcome additional layer of colour to her palette of soul-tinged blues. Although her decision to drag her eight year old son out onto the stage to shout "3-6-5" into the mike during one of these appeared to border on child cruelty. For the little chap clearly felt it was all just too uncool to be singing with his mum.
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| Kyla Brox |
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| Kyla Brox Band - Southport 2021 |
I suppose those of us of a certain vintage, would have first encountered Dana Gillespie via either her Bowie/Ronson produced 1973 album Weren't Born A Man, or her gravity-defying physique in that 1977 adventure film The People That Time Forgot. Whilst those "People" may have been easy to forget, I rather doubt if co-star Doug McClure faced anything so daunting in the Virginian, as he did when sharing a scene with Dana's decolletage.
Forty-odd years or on from that film, Dana is still active musically. Indeed has never stopped recording. She always loved the blues but, in her own words: “No one has understood how deeply rooted in music I am, because they got distracted by my tits.”
The lady's most recent release Deep Pockets is, depending upon which web site you visit, something like her 35th solo release. And that tally does not include her run of 13 albums of Indian music (sung in Sanskrit!) recorded with The Shanti Orchestra. Nor her contributions to the annual compilation album from the yearly Mustique Blues Festival, which she co-organises. Dana Gillespie has clearly been, and remains, a busy, busy lady.
Her first act upon arriving on stage this evening was to (not totally in fun) scold the compere for mispronouncing her name. "It is not Day-na, but Dana. It rhymes with spanner". It took me a little while for me to work out, but I finally recognised that Dana's speaking accent is very similar to Jo Brand's. She even enjoyes the same self-deprecating humour. (Dana is way prettier though).
She was supported this evening by a three piece band, each of whom enjoyed a lengthy solo spot to showcase their talents. Dino Baptiste's barrelhouse piano during Too Blue To Boogie was just jaw-dropping.
But it was Dana's voice which was the star of the show, as she effortlessly sashayed her way through ninety minutes of mostly self-penned risque blues. Her sole concession to a covering standards was a marvellous rendition of Bessie Smith's St. Louis Blues.
Having heard Phil Collins croak his way through the Genesis set the previous week, to hear 72-years young Dana in such fine form, was a real treat.
I really must get down to the 606 Club next year.
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| Dana Gillespie |
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| Drummer Tash Buxton-Lewis |
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| During her impressive drum solo, one could almost believe there were two of her. |
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| Dana and guitarist Jake Zaitz |
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| Dana Gillespie and The London Blues Band - Southport 2021 |
Set List
Big Boy
Experienced
Old School
St Louis Blues
Too Blue To Boogie
Ten Ton Blocks
See You on the Other Side
Funk Me, It's Hot
The Cat's Miaow
It's Gonna be a Long Night
Big Daddy Blues
A Lotta What You Got
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| The Atkinson, Southport by night... |
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| ...and by day |
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