Gig review: BAND OF FRIENDS- 229 Club, London, 4 January 2026

January 10th, 2026 by andynathan

On a day when the rock world marked the 40^th anniversary of Philip Lynott’s passing, it was a fellow all-time great of Irish rock that was also on my mind as I attended my first gig of the year- one of no less than 19 in a row that are being held at the well-appointed 229 Club as part of the London Blues Festival.

To celebrate the music and legacy of legendary guitarist and singer Rory Gallagher Band of Friends were established in the early 2010s by former members of his band, two of whom are still present in his long-serving bass playing foil Gerry McAvoy and drummer Brendan O’Neill. Their appearances in London seem to have become more frequent in recent years, indeed I saw them at the same festival just 12 months ago.

Their line ups seem to rotate regularly but on this occasion Isle of Man raised and Chicago-based Davy Knowles was still there with the difficult job of doing the great man justice. Rory’s line-ups varied over the years between a pure power trio or an added keyboard player, and on this occasion Band of Friends included the latter in the form of David Cowan, which I thought brought a refreshing added dimension.

Despite it being a freezing Sunday night, with a late start, there was a healthy turnout as they took the stage, Gerry already motioning to get the crowd going, as they opened with ‘Double Vision’, a decent riff but probably not what you would consider one of his classics, followed by a furious ‘Messing With the Kid’, with the first evidence of the guitar and piano of Davy and David playing off of each other.

They are more than a straight tribute for a number of reasons. The tousle-haired guitarist nodded to Rory with his check shirt and denim jacket and was respectful to the riffs and solos but added his own flourishes, the classic ‘Moonchild’ (complete with keyboard intro) being a case in point.

Vocally he is not particularly like Rory with a smooth voice with just a little but of grit, shown to good effect on the very melodic original ‘Under the Gun’. Ironically it is Gerry who was closer to capturing the less polished tones of his former band leader when he took lead on ‘Lonely Mile’, a song which was new to me at last year’s show but I cannot believe did not originally make the ‘Jinx’ album, as it boasts a memorable riff. He repeated the feat on the darker sounding tones of ‘Heaven’s Gate’.

It is hard to believe he, like the equally youthful Brendan, is now 74- his range of expressions and grimaces and whipping up of the crowd in genial fashion was very entertaining, as were some of the poses he pulled with Davy, who seemed more confident in the role and showing more stage movement than 12 months ago.

Another difference is that they have composed their own material (indeed the main trio released their own album under the MKO moniker last year) including ‘Stand Your Ground’, with some admirable musicianship from all four players, the excellent King’ O’ the West’, a very well judged autobiographical tribute and ‘When You Lose A Friend’, a rare slow blues in a generally hard rocking set.

Although the epic ‘A Million Miles Away’ was one of the surprise omissions, they dug deep into the catalogue to please the Gallagher connoisseur. They ranged from Davy playing some dirty solos on ‘Bought and Sold’ but showing the more melodic side of his songwriting in ‘Overnight Bag’ and one I wasn’t too familiar with myself in ‘Daughter of the Everglades’. There are certain sings that have to be played however, such as a storming ‘Tattooed Lady’ which built to a powerful and seemingly never-ending climax.

I imagine Gerry could hold court all night entertaining with anecdotes in that Belfast brogue, but we only got one of any length, about the history of him auditioning in London at the outset of Rory’s solo career and getting the job, leading into ‘I Fall Apart’ from that 1971 debut album. The band really caught the spirit of that wonderful song, beginning in gentle, wistful fashion then growing in power and intensity to a climax with Brendan, whose playing had generally been crisp, economical and almost minimalist, now attacking every part of the kit.

We were now into the home straight with one of my favourite earworm riffs in ‘Bad Penny’: again the band jammed with a reggae style breakdown and Gerry even taking a trip into the crowd, and after several false endings, straight into an even better jam of ‘Shadow Play’, complete with vintage solo.

The encore was an inevitable crowd pleaser in ‘Bullfrog Blues’ , Davy picking up a slide for what surprisingly I think was the only time in the set and again featuring a superb guitar and piano duel and a fun atmosphere on stage, to close a good value hour and three quarter set. A special mention too for the sound and lighting which were excellent for a venue of this size.

The greats may leave us, but their music lives on and we are very lucky that Rory Gallagher’s bandmates and their collaborators can do such justice to his legacy. My first gig of the year is still likely to be among the best at year’s end.

Review and Photos by Andy Nathan

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