First up were the local rocking blues duo with Craig Lamie on guitar and vocals, and John Murphy on Drums. There wasn't much chat, just launched straight into an energetic set. Lamie makes up for the lack of a bass player by having his top string tuned deep, and it works well. Only a short set, but, even with just the 2 of them on stage, they still managed to have a disagreement about the set list! Not that it made a lot of difference. Lamie has a decent enough voice, but little inflection, and most numbers lacked a truly discernible melody. The musicality was a good standard though, and Murphy is highly entertaining to watch, so it certainly wasn't all bad.
Kara Grainger is a US-based Australian singer and guitarist, here accompanied by Sam on keyboard, Marcel on bass and Luke on drums. They played a mix of classic blues numbers and some of her own compositions. Grainger's got a strong, distinctive voice and good guitar technique, including a bit of slide, so both vocals and solo are a pleasure to get into. A real rocker having a good time, with an excellent backing band. Keyboard solos were wild, bass and percussion solid, and the audience got involved. A highlight was one of the best versions of A Good Day For The Blues I've heard live.
Headliner was Irish singer/guitarist Duffy, with Paul on guitar, Mickey playing bass and Gavin as percussive anchor at the back. She asked if we were ready for some rock and roll... then, remembering where she was added "and the blues". Which gives some clue to the approach. Loud and rocking and none the worse for that. Duffy has a gritty voice with a wide range, and uses it well. Her version of I'd Rather Go Blind was impressive, with a soaring long note held well at the end. Paul took most of the guitar solos, and is a real rocker with fast fingers, while Duffy is not far behind him, and did some nice work with the slide.
A rocking afternoon, with the Australian being my pick of the gig.
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