16 September 2016 (gig)
17 September 2016
To be honest, it takes the prospect of something special to tempt me to the Essex wilds but the thought of seeing Sari Schorr live in a small room made the prospect more than a little enticing. To say that she delivered on all fronts would actually be an understatement!
After an hour and a half of blistering rock / Blues / Soul / showtunes / standards I was left in awe of the lady and wondering if there is anything she can’t do.
No surprise, she mainly featured numbers from the brilliant ‘Force Of Nature’ album putting out a stunning version of ‘Demolition Man’, sexy and sassy ‘Cat And Mouse’ and an incredible ‘Oklahoma’ that gradually built into a monster pressure-cooker of a number.
In between we were treated to a few standards given the Sari touch with her band cooking as hard as she did – Zeppelin’s ‘Rock & Roll’ was wicked but the sheer power and emotion of ‘Black Betty’ came over even more powerfully in a live setting. She said before the number that it was difficult but she nailed it with a harrowing performance that had most of the audience jaw-dropped and shocked at what they had just experienced – every ounce of Sari Schorr was poured out in an incredible performance.
The Engine Room includes Innes Sibun on guitar who confirmed his place as one of the best modern axemen and Anders Olinder whose understated keyboards worked brilliantly with the maelstrom around him. The rhythm section of the two Kevins – O’Rourke & Jeffries – drove and lifted the music.
Before the gig I wondered how much of the ‘Force of Nature’ album was down to Mike Vernon’s production but after seeing her actually performing it felt that Vernon actually underplayed some of her strengths.
Sari Schorr is most definitely a force and positively a special talent that deserves the biggest stages. A special night and a remarkable lady.
