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The latest in the seemingly endless line of classic rock revivalists, a big buzz has emerged around Blues Pills. In their short career they have topped many end of year polls, including being GRTR!’s own tip for 2015. Then on this, the first night of a UK tour they filled the Academy virtually to its 800 capacity and with a fascinating mix of ages in the crowd.
There was also a well matched main support in power trio Raven Eye. Guitarist and vocalist Oli Brown may be familiar as the boyishly clean cut rising star of the blues rock scene a few years back but has thrown his fancy waistcoats to the back of the closet, turned up the feedback and rocked out in retro style.
The band, also including bassist Aaron Spiers whose backing vocals are a big part of the sound and ever smiling drummer Kev Hickman, mixed vintage heavy rock sounds with the progressive feel of some more contemporary bands like Muse in an impressively promising set, even if other than ‘Hey Hey Yeah Yeah’ it was hard to pick out individual song titles.
As Blues Pills came on two thoughts immediately struck me. One was the effortless way they kept a space between the grooves while staying heavy and each individual instrument could be clearly heard. The other was that even their most commercial song and opener ‘High Class Woman’ was allowed to segue into a jam then blend into another song.
This was a reminder that much like the current darlings of the scene Rival Sons, Blues Pills music is about enjoying and absorbing a vibe, rather than expecting more conventional verses, choruses and hummable hooks, though there were exceptions such as ‘Devil Man’.
Their overall sound was harder than that of RS with a heavy, and at times psychedelic, vibe. In fact the Blues Pills name gives a slightly misleading experience of what to expect (as well as the fact Googling their name is more likely to turn up various libido enhancing medicines!)
Singer Elin Larsson is petite yet possessed of a primeval roar that brings even the most mundane song to life, though between songs she was quietly spoken almost to a fault. To her right, young French guitarist Dorrian Sorriaux stood motionless but played with great feeling and fluency and it was not just his curly mop that reminded me of the young Peter Green. His patterned shirt with its flared collars on his shirt only added to the sense we had stepped into a time machine and been transported back some 45 years.
Most of the jamming was kept fairly concise until a cover of an old Tony Joe White number ‘Elements And Things’ went off in a free form psychedelic direction which was miles removed from Polk Salad Annie. Like much of their material it was, in the word of GRTR! Radio’s motto, something to ‘ turn on, tune in and wig out’ to.
An encore of ‘Little Sun’ ended a set of a respectable hour and a quarter length and better still, within moments they were freely mixing with fans in the foyer with no airs and graces. Let’s hope that approachability can be maintained as better things and bigger venues surely await.
Review by Andy Nathan
Photos by Darran Scott
Tour dates
12th June – Download Festival – Donnington
http://downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets
26th July – Ramblin’ Man Fair – Maidstone
http://www.ramblinmanfair.com/
28th July – Corporation – Sheffield
http://www.corporation.org.uk/gig/1863/Blues+Pills+at+Corporation+on+28+July+2015
29th July – O2 Academy 2 – Liverpool
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/BEH29072?brand=o2academyliverpool&camefrom=AMG_LIVERPOOL_BLUES_PILLS
31st July – Limelight 2 – Belfast
http://www.limelightbelfast.com/
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
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