Norman Beaker Band - Waterloo Music Bar Blackpool - 26th May 2017
Playlist: N/A
The first time I came across Norman Beaker was in the late 1980s. My friend, Mick Schofield, had had an idea that he wanted to start putting on Blues bands, in Blackpool, as the local music scene back then was limited, to say the least. So, with a very small bank overdraft, a wealth of musical knowledge, and the enthusiasm and passion of a man who had never put on a gig before, he did just that. A small venue [at what was then Squires Gate Airport, Blackpool] was secured for the purpose, and The Kite Club was born. The rest, as they say, is history (in so far as you lived in Blackpool in the late '80s or early '90s, and liked blues music, of course).
It would have been around 1988. Mick phoned me up and said, 'Tha' ow reet, cock?' Well, he was from Yorkshire. Then, he launched into a testimonial on the qualities and skills of this blues guitarist, from Stockport, that he'd recently come across. That kind of effusive praise was reserved for The Groundhogs, Savoy Brown, Ten Years After, Jerry Garcia, John Cippolina, Deke Leonard, and Micky Jones. I knew Mike well enough to know that, from the length of his tirade, Norman must be good. He actually played me bits of their album, on cassette, 'Bought In The Act', down the phone! I still have that cassette tape... That was the first time I heard Norman's track, Break It Down. No further explanations were needed.
In the millennia since, I have seen Norman many times, in his own right or, as the backing band of choice for the likes of Jack Bruce or, Chris Farlowe. What can I tell you? You don't keep getting asked to go on tour with the likes of these legends by accident. You get asked because you're the best. No other reason.
In the millennia since, I have seen Norman many times, in his own right or, as the backing band of choice for the likes of Jack Bruce or, Chris Farlowe. What can I tell you? You don't keep getting asked to go on tour with the likes of these legends by accident. You get asked because you're the best. No other reason.
Tonight was about The Kite Club though, which Mick started, and others kept the name going, after him. It is a local legend of sorts: the man who made models for the Blackpool Illuminations, ran a record shop, and decided to become a music promoter. I remember it well, I was there.
Whilst I saw many awesome acts under The Kite Club banner, such as Robert Lucas, Colin Hodgkinson and Frank Diez, Bob Brozman, Jack Bruce, Albert Lee, Walter Trout, if there is one person who symbolizes what Mick was trying to do with The Kite Club, it is Norman Beaker. All Mick wanted to do was bring great music to people who would appreciate it. With Norman, he found the perfect artist. The band may have had different members 30 years ago, but not that much changes when you surround yourself with good players and you go out and play as much as they do.
Norman's guitar playing is still as beautiful and fluid as ever, whilst his voice has a wonderfully lived-in feel to it. The setlist is a delightful mixture of self-penned tunes, blues standards, and anything else they feel like playing. There's a wonderfully relaxed feel about the whole set and you know it could go anywhere. We all mention great bands and great songs that 'you've never heard'. Break It Down, by The Norman Beaker Band, certainly falls into that category, and I'll put that one up against any track you got!
After years of playing the blues, Norman has become as much a Blues Man as any of those who sang the songs he plays most nights of the week. He's The Man. It's that simple. He's got the pedigree, the roots, and the experience to put on a great show every night. You will never be disappointed at a Norman Beaker gig. End of.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
29th May 2017
Whilst I saw many awesome acts under The Kite Club banner, such as Robert Lucas, Colin Hodgkinson and Frank Diez, Bob Brozman, Jack Bruce, Albert Lee, Walter Trout, if there is one person who symbolizes what Mick was trying to do with The Kite Club, it is Norman Beaker. All Mick wanted to do was bring great music to people who would appreciate it. With Norman, he found the perfect artist. The band may have had different members 30 years ago, but not that much changes when you surround yourself with good players and you go out and play as much as they do.
Norman's guitar playing is still as beautiful and fluid as ever, whilst his voice has a wonderfully lived-in feel to it. The setlist is a delightful mixture of self-penned tunes, blues standards, and anything else they feel like playing. There's a wonderfully relaxed feel about the whole set and you know it could go anywhere. We all mention great bands and great songs that 'you've never heard'. Break It Down, by The Norman Beaker Band, certainly falls into that category, and I'll put that one up against any track you got!
After years of playing the blues, Norman has become as much a Blues Man as any of those who sang the songs he plays most nights of the week. He's The Man. It's that simple. He's got the pedigree, the roots, and the experience to put on a great show every night. You will never be disappointed at a Norman Beaker gig. End of.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
29th May 2017