21 March 2018 (gig)
22 March 2018
This was the last date on the tour and The Borderline was packed – I mean ‘no room to breathe’ packed. Last time I saw it like this was for Johnny Lang’s legendary return to London a few years back.
Both Mollie Marriott and Dan Patlansky have been touring almost constantly for the last year or so and they have built up quite the reputation as dynamite live performers and the crowd were treated to some excellent live music, full of ‘edge’ and both performers seeming to have a great time of it.
Mollie was first up and she played a short but punchy set. Coming onstage in shimmery black jeans and leather jacket she looked the image of a rock goddess and when she started singing you could hear that this is not just a lady relying on the link to her father – she has a voice and real presence and in songs like ‘Truth Is A Wolf’ and ‘Control’ she proved she can write too. She has her own headline dates later in the year and I cannot wait to see her play a full set.
Then we had Dan Patlansky.
This guy has been around in South Africa for a while and he is just beginning to really make a mark here in Blighty but make a mark he is and the crowd were digging his raw Blues/rock from the first riffs to the last.
He has a new band over here and Felly Dehmel (drums) and Jonathon Murphy (bass) gave his rock a great foundation but I was really impressed by keysman Tom Gatza – very young but matching Patlansky perfectly.
Patlansky’s Blues has a strong essence of funk in it and numbers like ‘Never Long Enough’ and ‘Backbite’ got a collective gasp from the crowd – on ‘Backbite’ I saw dozens of heads bobbing to the number (no room to dance). A stunning version of B.B. King’s ‘You Upset Me (Baby)’ showed his proper homage to the masters of Blues and his slow Blues ‘Still Want To Be Your Man’ really let his playing get to the emotions of the crowd.
The tracks from his new album ‘Perfection Kills’ went down a storm and they fit well with numbers from ‘Introvertigo’.
Of course he went through the gamut of guitar abuse – you have to feel for that beaten up Strat – but unlike many, he made it a musical abuse.
A belting night from two top performers – nights like this don’t come around too often so cherish them when they do.
Picture by Laurence Harvey
