For the early throes of the tour supporting the recently released NOTES FROM AN ISLAND, Blair has assembled a trio format in harnessing the talents of long time drummer Fred Claridge and newly enlisted acquaintance Jack Carty on bass. The latter, an experienced singer-songwriter in his own right, opened the evening with a support set packed full of self-penned songs spanning the European and Oceanic continents, thus representing the British home and the Down Under upbringing of this exiled Aussie.
Peaking
with songs such as ‘Hospital Hill’
and ‘Stargazer’, Jack paved the way
for Blair to take centre-stage complete with a homely lampshade making the vacuous
Robin feel a little more intimate. Before too long, the impish character came
to the fore making Blair a highly personable performer and one to warm the
hearts of those in his midst.
His style
blends the storytelling of folk with a pop tinge, while never straying too far
from the late sixties-early seventies rock templates of either side of the
pond. He tended to major on electric guitar for most of the evening, swaying
between a few extrovert rock riffs and more subtle twangy strumming. Impeccable
percussion from Fred Claridge kept appropriate time ranging from the Americana
leaning upbeat ‘45s (C.'14)’ (which
acted as the foot tapping pre-encore closer) and the impressive ‘Nothing Good’ lifted off the new record.
Blissful three part harmonies adorned the latter and eyes closed could easily
have imagined a Californian super group on stage.
On a
stateside theme, there was an air of familiarity about the cover of ‘Dancing in the Dark’, which Blair did
try to put on a different spin. This was one of a handful of tracks delivered
solo on acoustic guitar, including the evening finale of ‘No Go Zones’, an interesting and relevant song to sing when returning
to the West Midlands. The subject of the track is the infamous and ill-advised Fox
News story slamming our beloved second city as being a rather dangerous place
to live!
To stir up
a slice of audience interaction of the singing kind, Blair had the ideal song
in ‘Green Liquor’, one dark in
sentiment contrasting with a highly catchy harmonious humming end finale,
leaving no excuse not to join in. A track not even needing an invitation to
participate in is the brand new single ‘Sweet
on You’. This could quite conceivably be Blair’s best song to date, an
enhanced accomplishment with now four full- length albums in the bank. Other songs
to make their mark on the night were a cover Gabrielle Aspin’s ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me’, and a
song representing Blair at his folk best in ‘Up on the Cragside’.
An hour and
half after hitting the stage, Blair Dunlop had accomplished the feat of putting
on yet another entertaining and highly enjoyable show. The Robin 2 is not an
easy place for a singer-songwriter heavy on original material to ply their
trade on a midweek night. Yet those who, either took a punt or are seasoned
fans had their investment amply rewarded. Artists like Blair Dunlop keep the
live music scene fresh, vibrant and brimming with meaningful music. Another
first class show added to the record.
