The Blues Band arrived at Newport Riverfront on Friday night with two sets worth of classic Rhythm and Blues tracks.
Paul Jones, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend now in their 29th year as an ensemble, delivered over two hours of classic blues and original compositions from group and solo albums.
Paul Jones, ever ‘the one in the middle’ displayed an unfaltering broad vocal range, as well as an impeccable style for playing the mouth organ. It was easy to see why, when performing songs by Sonny Boy Williamson and Curtis Mayfield how he has remained at the top of his field for over 40 years.
Jones didn't sing all the lead vocals however, these were shared out with other Blues Band members Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness and Gary Fletcher, all whom performed tributes to Ray Charles, Arthur Crudup and Howlin' Wolf among others.All delivered an extremely high standard of performance, while Rob Townsend kept a steady beat on drums and percussion.
Instrumental highlights included McGuinness’s guitar solo’s (of which one he performed while balancing guitar on his shoulder back) and a phenomenal drum solo from Townsend in the encore. All in all, a fantastic concert to end the week in which you could rock, roll and ultimately chill out. Let’s hope the Blues Band return to Newport for their 30th anniversary tour!
- The Blues Band Official Website
- Review of The Blues Band at Newport Riverfront, 2011
- This review was published in The South Wales Argus during November 2007
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