Congleton Unplugged 2014 - 28th February 2014
Friday
Tres Amigos (EPH)
Chris Bevington on Bass, Mike Spape on Guitar, and Stevie Gilbert on Harp.
Tres Amigos. My first gig of Congleton Unplugged 2014 and one of the ones I was eager to attend. Chris had been on my radio show to talk about his new CD - listen to the interview here – and had mentioned this little outing. I was glad to see that they had brought illumination with them. What a difference some lights make to the photos...
It was a great way to kick off My Unplugged and I had a lot of fun. The set list was a nice variety of Blues, Rock, R n B and a few popular tunes. A little JJ Cale, a tad of SRV, a couple of classics, a smidgeon of old school, and it was all very enjoyable. I got very close to feeling all warm and fuzzy, inside.
I stayed for their first set and would have loved to have stayed for the rest but, I had to brave the crosstown traffic and hike up to The Beartown Tap to see the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Phil Maddocks and Nick Bayes.
Tres Amigos (EPH)
Chris Bevington on Bass, Mike Spape on Guitar, and Stevie Gilbert on Harp.
Tres Amigos. My first gig of Congleton Unplugged 2014 and one of the ones I was eager to attend. Chris had been on my radio show to talk about his new CD - listen to the interview here – and had mentioned this little outing. I was glad to see that they had brought illumination with them. What a difference some lights make to the photos...
It was a great way to kick off My Unplugged and I had a lot of fun. The set list was a nice variety of Blues, Rock, R n B and a few popular tunes. A little JJ Cale, a tad of SRV, a couple of classics, a smidgeon of old school, and it was all very enjoyable. I got very close to feeling all warm and fuzzy, inside.
I stayed for their first set and would have loved to have stayed for the rest but, I had to brave the crosstown traffic and hike up to The Beartown Tap to see the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Phil Maddocks and Nick Bayes.
Phil Maddocks & Nick Bayes (Beartown Tap)
Can someone please move The Beartown Tap a little closer to town? I really like the place but it's a bit of a mission... On the up side, getting there didn't kill me. So, that's a plus, I suppose.
The first local act I took notice of (apart from the legendary Fire Garden) was Phil and Nick. I'd never heard of either of them before and I had no intention of seeing them. I just happened to be there and I liked what I heard. I like what I hear even more these days. As a duo, they have grown and their live performances are always very enjoyable and great fun. Phil's songs are so good that it pains me to see them not enjoying the success they deserve, whilst less talented goons reap undeserved rewards. Still, they keep on doing their thing and I, for one, am glad of that.
Oli Ng (White Lion)
As I was leaving the Tap, chatting with Phil and Nick, mention was made of Rick Springfield. I was encouraged to ask Oli to give us a rendition of 'Jesse's Girl'. So, on arriving at The White Lion, I enquired as to the likelihood of the aforementioned song. Oli looked at me and said, “You've been talking to Phil Maddocks, haven't you?” He took it in good spirits, I'm pleased to say. In case you weren't aware, Oli is a Bruce Springsteen fan...
There is little I can say about Oli Ng other than to talk about his impressive songwriting and performing abilities. For one so young, Oli has talent way beyond his years and, I firmly believe that, given the breaks, he will be big news in the future.
Tailor Made (White Lion)
Oh, this is a tricky one... I had no idea what to expect from James Byrne and Jake Rayner, otherwise known as Tailor Made. Jake is a good guitarist and, as much as it pains me to say it, James has a good voice. OK. I'll just get it over with: I enjoyed them! There, are you happy now?
Yeah, they were bloody good and, although I didn't know all of the songs they performed, others clearly did. It was a fun set and, in spite of some technical issues, they came through and finished up with an inspired rendition of, Tenacious D's, Tribute.
Needs a little work to smooth some rough edges but, generally, a great deal of potential.