Well Did You Ever..

It’s been a bit of a noisy week for me for a change and this time it was all my own choice! I feel a bit teenagery again having indulged in the throbbing pagan rhythms yet again on Sunday evening. Twice in one week, what’s to do, eh? Beer was good, too.

This time I packed my overnight bag and was off down to the Leicester Musician pub to see my very good chums Sinnerboy play their last gig of an incredibly busy year. They are the country’s, if not the world’s, premier tribute to the late and very much lamented Irish guitarist, Rory Gallagher. What’s more, they are rapidly garnering the same kind of loyal following that Rory built up during his 30-odd year career. And they’re all bloody nice blokes, just like their hero was. The crowd on Sunday came from as far afield as Liverpool and London, in fact I believe there was even a domiciled Scot amongst us, and this is now pretty much the mix for a Sinnerboy night.

Anyone who ever witnessed Rory playing live will always remember the incredible passion and energy of his playing. He would play all night to the proverbial three men and a dog and eschewed the commercial big-time that would have made him rock royalty able to play a stadium tour a year and forget the originality and the connection with the fans that made him. He had a profound knowledge of the blues and a mastery of nearly all forms of playing it almost certainly unique among his peers; he was equally at home playing the acoustic rag of Blind Blake’s Pistol Slapper Blues as he was the screaming slide of Souped Up Ford.

Barry Barnes and the other two Sinnerboys, bassist Dave Burns and drummer Steve Richardson make no effort at impersonations; the reverence they hold for the music drives the performance and gives them the ability to pull out all the stops every time they play. Such is their mastery over Rory’s music that many people go to see Sinnerboy for the first time and remain first and foremost Sinnerboy fans, only picking up on the originals through the recommendations of those of us who remember Rory live. We’re fans too but we’re also experiencing hearing Rory again vicariously through the band. No it’s not a religion but it’s certainly fast becoming a bit of a hobby.

Only a couple of downsides to the Leicester gig: the Musician is an old pub stuck out on the edge of the town centre right next to the ring road. It’s an industrial area and there are no residential neighbours. So why did the licence only go until 11 and why the enforced drinks break halfway through? We only got around 90 minutes of the band, which for £5 is OK but we know they can double that easily. Shame for the band, the punters and the venue. 2006 can’t come around soon enough. See you there!