Tonight’s gig was part of the 100 Club’s regular Tuesday Blues events and a decent crowd was already in situ by the time Albany Down took the stage.

I’ve been a quiet appreciator of this band for a while now and judged 2023’s ‘Born In the Ashes’ to be one of my favourite albums of that year.

Guitarist, vocalist and main writer, Paul Turley was soon in to his stride on opener ‘Always Want What You Can’t Have’. hard-rocking blues riff, huge drums and pumping bass.

Turley’s voice was in great shape and ‘Man Like Me’ from ‘Not Over Yet’ were well received.

‘Reflections’ showcased his exquisite playing with obvious Hendrix-infused vibes and a catchy vocal hook. The mid-track solo was an absolute killer, but the final solo was drowned out by too much of Ben Atkins’ five string bass in the mix and some of the harmonics were also lost to the night. I was on the move around the room to find a better sound balance.

‘South of the City’ from the band’s debut album was a set highlight. The track built slowly with some tasteful slide guitar and dark lyrics into a quality piece of blues. Pete Hancock on drums keeping everything beautifully in check.

A couple off the ‘Born in the Ashes’ album emphasised the trio’s often Zep-inspired sounds. The title track, stripped of its studio keyboard lushness, was hard-driven and with a defiant narrative that Turley stretched for on some soaring notes. ‘Darkest Day’ also picked up a mix of riff-heavy energy interspersed with breakdowns and finely crafted solos.

Turley was very understated on stage and it took an interjection from Atkins to plug the band’s merch stall.

The band became slicker and tighter as the show progressed. ‘Let Your Love Shine’ and particularly ‘The Working Man’ were really muscular with the latter featuring the most satisfying solo of the night.

Albany Down don’t tour much and I think it showed in some areas. This was a good, well-received set that would have been even better with a bit more stage-craft and honing of the timings and vocal harmonies. I’d love to see them stretch out on some of their longer songs too.

Aynsley Lister and his band breezed into their headline slot. Lister has run up a string of high powered well received blues rock albums since his debut in 1999. So how come he still only looks 24?

He ripped in to ‘Everything I Need’ and immediately there was a better sound: clearer guitar, an even mix and no clicks and whizzes. I felt a pang of sympathy for Albany Down.

There was barely a break before the ballad ‘Home’ kicked in, bringing a lovely tone on the chorus and the quiet passage, followed by a ragged, dirty, pirouetting solo. The kind of dramatic set up that kills me every time. Two tracks in and I’m thinking, ‘blimey, this lad is a talent’, begging the question why I haven’t seen him before.

‘Hyde 2612’ is a jazzy-bluesy instrumental that highlighted the skill of Craig Bacon on drums. The catchy rhythms were particularly enjoyed by a couple of chaps behind me, prompting joint hand-clapping that wasn’t even in time with each other, never mind the band! It mattered not.

The next one up was, quite literally, ‘as yet untitled’, a rocky effort with a powerful drive ‘that will probably find its way onto an album at some point’, we are told. Lister was comfortable on stage, possessing a relaxed patter with the crowd and also with his two sidemen, Bacon and Jono Martin on bass, regularly taking time to appreciate their contributions.

‘Hurricane’ is clearly a fan-favourite and the band took the chance to flex their muscles on a superb instrumental break that, again, the drummer was all over. Lister has a fluid style and makes everything look so easy.

The trio chucked in a couple of mid-set instrumentals. First up was a funky little number on semi-acoustic guitar to which my friends behind me added some, er, melodious whistling. Second up was ‘Hide Away’, the Clapton/Bluesbreakers version from 1966 that the guitarist says he learnt note for note when he was 14!

‘Running Out on Me’ had a gorgeous sleazy riff and was reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan in his prime.

The set closer was ‘Purple Rain’, which by all accounts has become a staple at Aynsley Lister gigs. Obviously a brave choice, but the spin that the band put on the track made it a highly enjoyable offering. There was a changed emphasis and phrasing on the vocals and the solo very much carried his own stamp: the quiet picking ramping up to a screaming finish, with bucket-loads of audience participation on the ‘whoo-hoo’ sections along the way. Such a brilliant track, done so well and with respect to the original.

The encore was ‘Balls of Steel’, the heaviest track on show. It was built around a re-purposing of Saxon’s ‘Wheels of Steel’ riff with a blues-rock undertow on the chorus. This had the crowd bouncing and was an exhilarating way to end the show. My friends by the bar were clapping out-of-time and whistling tunelessly for all they were worth.

A top night. Aynsley Lister is touring extensively this year and I’d love to see some of this material with his band that also features keyboards and sometimes a horn section. I’ll be sure to catch him again.

Review by Dave Atkinson

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Power Plays w/c 26 January 2026

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR Hell Or High Water (Journeyman Records)
TY FREEMAN One Way Love (indie)
GREY DAZE Monster You Adore (indie)
HOKKA Death By Cupids Arrow (Nuclear Blast Records)
PURPLE DOTS Stared At The Sun (Kycker)
SAINT AGNES Song For Mia (Spinefarm)
STREETLIGHT Shake That Feeling (Frontiers)

Featured Albums w/c 26 January 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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