Nottingham’s Old Market Square is the largest urban public space in Britain (bar London’s Trafalgar Square) and provided the ideal arena for the main acts at this year’s free City Pulse Festival. The event had focused on a Retro theme and the preceding two days had seen The Manfreds, Alan Price, Zoot Money and Earl Jackson (amongst many others) all given chances to make their mark. But, on arrival, all the talk was about Eddie Floyd’s Sunday afternoon performance. Apparently a knock-out.

The large stage was set in front of the iconic columned facade of the city’s eighty year old Council House and by the time the clock struck one a fair sized crowd had gathered (a crowd that gradually grew and grew as the day progressed) as we were introduced to the first act of the day – Kitty, Daisy and Lewis.

The band name, in fact, is a front for the Durham family – Dad, Graeme, playing acoustic rhythm guitar, and bare footed Mum, Ingrid Weiss (double bass) provide the propulsion for the siblings to shine. And how they shine!

With a bit of clever splicing, footage in performance of these photogenic and highly talented young Londoners could be surreptitiously slipped in amongst the cast of the early idols who graced The Girl Can’t Help it (the film homage to Rock ‘N’ Roll) and the casual viewer not bat an eye. Lewis’ sharp suit, Kitty’s shorts and fishnet stockings and Daisy’s knee-length white skirt with over-large (‘sailors’) collar scream of late 40′s, early 50′s U.S. teenage fashions, whilst their quiffed hair accentuates the Latin American look. But it’s the way they attack the music that most impresses. Most of the songs featured were short and came without introduction, with instruments swapped and changed with more rapidity than the late Tommy Cooper’s hat routine.

An a cappella opening, Kitty and Daisy intoning “Walk right in, walk right out” led into Louis Jordan’s ‘Mean Son Of A Gun’. The rockabilly treatment saw Kitty take the vocal and blowing some tasty harp, with Lewis on guitar and Daisy on drums. “Ooo Wee” that followed saw the sisters switching, with Kitty now on the skins, Lewis playing some lovely rolling piano and Daisy at the mic.

Though both openers had been up-tempo it was interesting to compare the girls voices – older Daisy’s is the earthier, and, like her drumming, more primal; whereas Kitty seems to keep an understated cool in her delivery, contrasting with her fiery harmonica.

Lewis then got his vocal turn on “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, combining twangy guitar with Kitty’s harp. While Daisy (back on drums) and Ingrid added a surprisingly urban break-beat mid-section to the country blend. “Polly Put The Kettle On” was a swinging promotion for Kitty’s chugging gob-iron, before Lewis’ spare pleading vocal and piano were let rip on the driving “Buggin’ Blues”. An authentic Otis Spann sound but actually penned by Lewis himself. Super stuff. The number sparked off impromptu dancing in the crowd, with those nearest the stage displaying an aptitude that led me to believe they could well have been members of Happy Feet (The Nottingham Swing Dance Society) who had run a workshop on the Sunday afternoon.

Things then turned more exotic. Daisy on a softly struck free-standing drum, Kitty on ukulele and vocal, and Lewis adding characteristic sounds of the friendly islands on lap slide to “Honolulu Rock And Roll”. They continued in a similar vein, weaving a spell over the audience with an infectiously swaying instrumental that could have made a tidy little earner for a quick thinking street trader with a cheap line in grass skirts.

Daisy gave her considerable percussive energy a rest on the next two numbers. Firstly, adding accordion to Lewis and Kitty’s battling banjos on “Hillbilly Music”, then piano and raucous vocal to “Got My Mojo Working”. The song also saw Kitty’s excellent harp-work give fresh energy to this overworked classic.

Another twist in the confection came with the introduction of special guest, veteran Jamaican session-man Eddy (Tan Tan) Thornton whose happy trumpet (allied to his deckchair striped shirt and red beret) added colour to the wonderful ska beat of the mainly instrumental “Lucky 7″. He then added jazzy textures when flirting with Daisy’s playful xylophone and Kitty’s engaging vocal on the singer’s self-penned “Baby Hold Me Tight” (the band’s next single). A number orangutan King Louie would have been happy to dance to.

Tan Tan left the stage briefly for both sisters to long vocally for a better life in “Going Up The Country”, before returning to supply the necessary brassy umph to complement Lewis’s rocking piano, backing Kitty at the mic, on the penultimate “Buena Sera”. A great show that deserved an encore. And at the bequest of loud audience demand the band returned to give us “Say You’ll Be Mine” – Lewis (who really has a great voice for his raw self penned material) pining for a woman who’s giving him the runaround. The number ending on Kitty’s big lunged harp blow-out.

Looking round the vociferous audience afterwards I knew I wasn’t the only one glad to have taken the chance to see K,D&L performing their last date in the UK for some time. From here a short European tour beckons before going on to support Coldplay in various venues over in the States.

London singer/songwriter Pete Molinari has made a big impact on the roots music scene over the last couple of years and his acoustic guitar and rack harmonica skills here were backed by Jimmy Bridgewood’s double bass and the drums of Tom Page. Due to illness the lead guitarist hadn’t showed, and left Pete coping (admirably, it must be said) with a rather more stripped down sound than he would have liked to present before such a big crowd. After listening to the first few numbers (the pick for bluesers being the opener – “Virtual Landslide”) I decided that Pete, though an obviously talented writer, (deeply steeped in the sounds of Greenwich Village) singing like a big voiced Dylan, had more affinity with American Folk and Country than Blues. So I mingled with the crowd and soaked up the atmosphere. While on my sojourn I witnessed headliner, James Hunter filming Mr Molinari from amongst the crowd with a cine camera of some considerable vintage. Obviously taking the Retro theme seriously.

Toward the end of Pete’s set he threw in a couple of surprises. Surely “63 Chevrolet” was a steal of “Midnight Special”; and the following “Heartaches A Plenty” had enough echoes of Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson’s duet (“My Rifle, My Pony And Me”) in the film western Rio Bravo that had me listening out for some mimic to voice Walter Brennan’s “Say that’s real pretty, go on play some more”.

It was obvious, by the front of house rush that followed Pete’s departure, that some people had come especially to see James Hunter. Not everyone was oblivious to the voice that is “One of the best kept secrets in British R&B and Soul”, and by the time James and his boys hit the stage and let rip even casual passers-by were halted in their tracks.

Backing the blue suited singer/songwriter/guitarist were the crack team of Jason Wilson (double bass), Preston Prince (drums), Lee Badau (baritone sax), Damian Hand (tenor sax) and Carwyn Ellis on Hammond organ.

“She’s Got A Way” instantly got things rocking – James’ spiky guitar led the way for all the band to take succinct solos. A pleasing appetiser for the delights that were to follow.

“People Gonna Talk” – a vehicle for James’ more mellow vocal tones to work their magic, described by the singer as the band’s hit, (“It went tin”) followed. Then “Riot In My Heart” was just that – an avalanche of organ/sax groove topped by James’s impassioned screams and trills.

Nothing quite matches the sound of a Hammond in full flight and “No Smoke Without Fire” certainly got the twisters in the crowd busy with the rhythm, along with two young girls who were doing their own take on a Pattercake routine.

The adrenaline levels were raised even further on a sensational fiery take of the 5 Royales’ “Baby Don’t Do It” – James hollering like a demented James Brown before embarking on a wild guitar dance that incorporated the moves of ‘The Godfather Of Soul’ with Freddy Garrity. While Lee and Damian, by turns, swung and blew in unison then fanned the flames with extravagant hand waves.

It was great to see an artist at the top of his game enjoying himself to the full in front of a big crowd, without the hustle and bustle of obtaining a good view as can be experienced in some smaller enclosed venues.

“Hand It Over” then saw Preston call the shots with a hands-on drum Rumba beat, before low flying bodies abounded, when Damian’s tenor solos on both “Jacqueline” and “Watch And Chain”, stimulated the jump jive fraternity to try some of their more ambitious moves.

Alvin Robinson’s Leiber and Butler penned hit “Down Home Girl” was then announced, (James throwing in a Norman Wisdom impression when initially forgetting the title) and gave Carwyn the chance to catch the eye, mixing expansive organ with the parping saxophones.

With the finishing line approaching James revisited the 5 Royales repertoire – “Think” (Carwyn, again letting loose, seguing into “Pink Champagne”) and also paid tribute to Bo Diddley with a tender love song unfamiliar to me but featuring Lee’s stunningly smoochy sax solo.

All good things come to an end and this wonderful set concluded with “Talking ‘Bout My Love” – containing a one-legged, guitar solo perambulation (worthy of The Ministry Of Silly Walks), a disastrous attempt at a Cossack dance (put right second time when the fallen guitarist revived himself by placing the guitar lead into his ear), and a call and response finish. In which the voices of the totally uninhibited crowd in trying to imitate the singer’s high pitched coos, sounded like a cast auditioning for Percy Edwards The Musical.

Well done Nottingham. Now that’s what I call entertainment!

London R&B singer and guitarist, James Hunter has had mainly the same band for twenty years and has recently begun to gain fame in the US. I managed to track him down for an interview, partly by email but also on the phone. His new album is called The Hard Way, perhaps indicative of how long it has taken him to achieve success.

Walter Trout has been a bandleader for around twenty years, too. He talked to me on the telephone from his home in California. Walter also released another album this year, called The Outsider, and he and his band have fifteen mainland UK dates, including two in Scotland and one in Wales.

Trevor Hodgett interviewed influential US singer, songwriter and performer Eric Andersen, when he played in Belfast this year. Eric hung out in Greenwich Village with the young Bob Dylan and has co-written songs with Townes Van Zandt.

Acoustic singer and guitarist Eleanor Ellis has a few dates in the Southeast. She has sent Blues In Britain an e-letter from Maryland, where she now lives. We also have e-letters from Rob Fleming of BluesMix about the band and its new album Biding My Time, and Ooh-Bop-Sh’bam, which is a great band to dance to.

Bob Ayre who runs Shades of Blue, a monthly club in St Albans, has written an article about it for our Blues Venue series. It takes place in the purpose built Maltings Arts Centre in the shopping mall, a lovely venue well worth trying to find.

I am trying to get out more this Autumn and one of the events I am looking forward to is the free Festival New Orleans at the O2, in Greenwich on 24th and 25th October. Dr John and Allen Toussaint are among the many stars from the Crescent City and there will be Mardi Gras Indians and southern food. This is swiftly followed by London Rhythm ‘N’ Roots dates at Dingwalls 27th to 30th October, with Geraint Watkins, Matt Schofield and Ian Siegal listed. So many good gigs we are spoilt for choice; I will see you out there!

Fran Leslie – October 2008

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