The Blues Band at Under The Bridge

Chelsea, London. Friday 06-March-2020.

We first saw The Blues Band at the Great British Rock and Blues Festival 2017. Featuring Paul Jones formerly of Manfred Mann. This time we went with our friends John and Andrea. This being our eighth time at UTB we knew the score - get there early and queue so you get some of the limited seating available. We bagged four bar stools in the floor area with great views of the stage. Result!

They did a solid Chicago blues style set.

You just can't beat some live music.

Mario Biondi at Under The Bridge

Stamford Bridge, London. Monday14-March-2016.

Our second time of seeing Mario. This time in the more intimate setting of UTB and with our friend Kathy over from Italy. A sold out gig, hardly surprising with a capacity of only 550.

It was a much more enjoyable concert than at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. We were about the same distance from the stage so it's not that. Maybe the acoustics were kinder. I think he played a very different set list and certainly in a more relaxed style.

Whatever the reason it worked. It was a much better gig, thoroughly enjoyable.

LondraItalia described it as "un apprezzabile e sincero concerto pop, ben suonato e di qualità." [Full review...]

Grandmothers of Invention at Under The Bridge

Saturday 01-Mar-14

We went from The Commitments at The Palace Theatre to this gig via Beachcomber bar in Queensway for Happy Hour with our friends Nigel and Kate. A couple of cocktails and then we were off to Under the Bridge to grab pole position.

My mates at college were big Zappa fans but I was never that convinced at the time; I was more into listening to T.Rex, Bowie and Roxy Music. However subsequently I have listened to a lot more jazz so my tastes have broadened. A couple of days beforehand Mary and I listened to a Frank Zappa greatest hits CD to get our ears in the mood.

The GrandMothers of Invention comprised three of the original Mothers of Invention line-up with additional band members. This is the first gig of their "Freak Out / The Early Zappa Years" Tour in which they perform songs from the first ten Zappa records.

Obviously I will never see Frank Zappa on account of him being dead but having three actual, original band members is enough for me to consider The Mothers of Invention ticked off the musical bucket list.

The GrandMothers of Invention are:

• Bunk Gardner (with the Mothers of Invention from 1966-1969) on tenor sax, EWI, flute, straight man, commentary
• Don Preston (with the Mothers from 1966-1974) on piano, keyboard synthesizers, electronics, gongage, magic, and vocals
• David Parlato (with the Mothers of Invention-Hot Rats-Grand Qazoo-Petit Wazoo from 1972 thru 1976) on electric bass. 

Also featuring:

• Christopher Garcia (the only drummer / percussionist,vocalist to hold the drum chair since 2003 for the GMOI) - drums, percussion, marimba, and vocals, and 
• "Mad" Max Kutner - electric guitar, what nots, pedals, hats and hair.

As often at gigs the songs were well known to the devotees but to me they were all first time of hearing. Because of that I could not tell you which compositions were on the set list (apart from "Call Any Vegetable"). If it is not damning with faint praise, I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. Suitably eccentrically Zappa-esque, it was an excellent concert and they are very accomplished musicians.

UPDATE:

Part of the concert on YouTube.

Set list and review at http://www.idiotbastard.com/reviews.htm#GMOI

Lulu at Under The Bridge

Friday 04-October-2013.

Another icon ticked off my musical bucket list. Lulu at UTB, one of our favorite venues. Not much seating unless you get there very early but you can get right up close to these musical legends.

She announced that she was going to sing a set comprised of the songs that influenced her and a couple of favourites from her own back catalogue. She then proceeded to have a good time belting out some classics.

The press were there behind the silken rope sipping PR champagne and they liked the show.

Telegraph: Almost inevitably, her latest career turn is, as she announces tonight, "songs from my roots": the soul and blues that hooked her as a Glasgow teenager. [...] Performing with a band of top-notch blues and soul session players, Lulu delivered a heartfelt, groovy, uplifting masterclass in emotionally nuanced singing, peppered with chatty anecdotes about the music she has always loved.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopreviews/10357865/Lulu-Under-the-Bridge-live-review.html

Independant: Lulu seems to honestly love tonight's songs, earnestly lecturing us on them, and her own time on the great soul label Atlantic's roster [...] And though her band are technically excellent, she's so much better when they ease off and you can hear her sing.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/gig-review-lulu--under-the-bridge-london-8864404.html

The band were top notch. When you are that well known and have been in the business as long as Lulu you can pick the best.

The "no photography" rule is erratically applied - perhaps it depends on the artist. On previous visits security have asked people to desist and one time made me delete my crappy iPhone pictures; the quality is so bad they are no threat to anyone. This time there were several members of the audience visibly holding up iPhones and recording entire tracks. At the Thin Lizzy gig one guy even recorded most of the show on a proper camera from right in front of the stage. As the Americans say "go figure".

Update: Official photos of the gig from UTB now on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/utblondon/sets/72157636289908034/

No encore but you kinda knew that when she finished with "Shout".

Another fine evening. Now I'm trying to work out who else should be on the bucket list.

Taj Mahal Trio at Under The Bridge

Sunday 28-July-2103

The second time of seeing Taj Mahal at Under the Bridge. Unfortunately Mary was not able to go as work sent her to Jo'berg and she had to leave at 4:30pm on Sunday. Nigel and Kate stepped in, bought the extra, odd ticket and kept me company for the gig.

Nigel and Kate wanted to be down in the mosh pit so I ended up right next to the stage with a brilliant view of the man. Like last time, he played a number of old favourites and switched between several different guitars, a banjo and keyboards - the latter to a good humoured shout of "show off!"

No support act. He came on about 8:20pm and played for over two hours solid, no break, just non-stop entertainment.

"The gravel-voiced singer, banjo player and undisputed US blues great has got his act well and truly together" says The Evening Standard.

I'll second that. Yet another fine musical evening in old London town.

Thin Lizzy at Under the Bridge

London, Wednesday 08-August-2012

Thin Lizzy clearly have amps that go all the way to 11. They say that if the music is too loud then you are too old. Bollocks to that, I say. The volume did a disservice to the music and at times it was painfully loud. Sometimes I take earplugs with me to a concert but not on this occasion. It is telling that many musicians wear earplugs. One of my nephews is in a band and he advised earplugs to their concert! It was certainly a visceral experience. The walls of the city shake.


Thin Lizzy

More pictures from me:

20120812-thin-lizzy-at-under-the-bridge, a set on Flickr.

The support band, Biblecode Sundays, were excellent and set the scene for the main act. Obviously it could never be the same without Phil Lynott but we've seen The Blockheads without Ian Dury and still enjoyed it. However it is a matter of opinion - T.Rex without Marc Bolan? Queen without Freddy Mercury? and others...

What I can say was we had a good time. The set lasted about an hour and a half and they did the greatest hits. My personal favourite is "Dancing in the Midnight" and it really got to me. I consider that I do not have a musical bone in my body but I cannot imagine a world without music.

 
Cowboy Song recorded live that night

More Thin Lizzy at Under The Bridge from YouTube

The VIP tickets we reckon were worth the money: a seat, a glass of champagne and bar snacks - mini-burgers, fish and chips, mushroom risotto and - appropriately as part of the Irish festival - Irish Stew.

And then a short ride bus home. Damn I love this city.

Dr John at Under The Bridge

London, Thursday 19-July-2012.

Another musical legend at our local music venue Under The Bridge - this time Dr John.

We got there in good time as it is unreserved seating. There was a bit of confusion on the door as we were fitted with VIP wristbands by a newbie doorman. Mary breezed in ahead but the head doorman spotted the error and removed mine :-(

VIP tickets gave access to the back raised area with seating and nibbles on trays. This was a "Good Thing" for Mary's foot but a bad thing for me standing in the mosh pit. I blagged my way in "to talk to my wife" so we could sit together. To be fair we did not avail ourselves of the free food (as we had eaten beforehand), nor did we get a drinks voucher so my conscience is clear.

When we went to see Taj Mahal they did not segregate off the VIP area, it was all one, I am not sure if this is going to be a regular feature. We are back there again next week to see Thin Lizzy and this time we are splashing out on the VIP tickets - because we're worth it!

The iPhone is crap for photos in low light fortunately UTB post official photos on Flickr:



The good Doctor was on fine form and a good time was had by all.

Jazz vs Blues - compare and contrast

We went to two very different concerts on successive nights: Phronesis and Taj Mahal.

Phronesis
Purcell Room, London, England. Wednesday 14-November-2011

Once again my sister and BIL double booked themselves and we got their spare tickets. They went off to Ronnie Scott's whilst we went off to hear someone we'd never heard of but that's fine by me; that way you to get experience things you might not otherwise.

The novel feature was the second half which was played in the pitch black which I found an intriguing and worthwhile experiment. It did allow me to focus on the music without being distracted by watching the musicians. The music was enjoyable but I couldn't write a review about avant-garde jazz so here a couple I found on the interweb:

• Write Stuff https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150370478366592
• Mark Youll http://www.wordsofnoise.com/2011/phronesis-pitch-black-purcell-room-southbank-centre/

On the down side the Purcell room is not the most charming of venues and so we went to The Archduke for a post concert glass of wine.

Taj Mahal
Under the Bridge, London, England. Thursday 15-November-2011

We only learnt about this concert because we follow Marcus Bonfanti and he was rumoured to be playing support for Taj. A new venue to us, this is under Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge ground and only a 20 minute bus ride away. Unreserved seating so we aimed to be there not too long after the doors opened even knowing (guessing) that it would be some time before the performance.

I got chatting to a man behind me who said he had been waiting 40 years to see Taj and had bought his tickets as soon as he heard about the gig. I am embarrassed to say that I "place-dropped" that we saw Taj a couple of years ago in New Orleans at The House of Blues.

As it turned out there was no support act so it was straight into a good long set from Taj. In NO he did a much more up-tempo rock style set; this time he did much more of an old-style set. He switched instruments playing several consecutive songs on each of electric guitar, keyboard, acoustic guitar, mandolin, etc.



I took a couple of photos on my iPhone but the security guard saw and insisted on me deleting them. Which is daft as they have put up their own photos on flickr for the world to see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/utblondon/sets/72157628126573307/detail/

And back home in 20 minutes on the 28 bus. Damn I love this city!