23 September 2018 (gig)
24 September 2018
Superb entertainment for a Sunday afternoon and evening at a venue I haven’t visited before but based on the capacity crowd and excellent set up it is one I will be visiting again.
The inaugural ‘Gig In The Garden’ was last year and again featured Elles Bailey with a stripped down band and set.
This time around she had her whole band and the gig had moved into the nearby village community centre to accommodate the many people who hadn’t be able to fit into the original, invite only, show.
Support for the show was 2 members of the Crossfire Blues Band (Crossfire Lite) – the 14 year old guitarist Marcus Praestgaard-Stevens and the prodigiously talented Alice Armstrong on vocals. He is an excellent guitarist but Armstrong’s voice set the hairs on the back of my neck at full attention – I cannot remember the last time I heard a purity of tone and a depth or range in a youngster. Their set included a couple of self penned numbers and versions of a few classics including doing a great ‘Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay’.
I’ve seen Elles Bailey four or so times in the last year and I have to say that every show has seen her songs develop, her singing get more smoky and sultry and her band really develop into a brilliant outfit. She has developed past being a simple Blues singer and added soul, funk and groove to her sound.
Her set in Cookham was mainly comprised of songs from her excellent ‘Wildfire’ album, opening with a stunning ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’ that had the packed crowd up and moving from the off. ‘Same Flame’ followed adding the boogie to her sound and getting some great vocal responses from the crowd.
The title song of her next album ‘The Road That I Call Home’ definitely sounds as though her writing and singing is encompassing a softer edge when needed.
‘Perfect Storm’ went down a treat as did a cracking take on ‘Medicine Man’ with some fine keyboards from Jonny Henderson and then she called Marcus and Alice onstage to play with them and ripped into a truly memorable version of ‘Howlin Wolf’ with Alice, wailing in the back, the perfect accompaniment to Bailey’s lead vocals.
‘Girl Who Owned The Blues’ (her song for Janis Joplin) was as deep and emotive as ever and the whole show closed on a riotous ‘Wildfire’.
New pop-up shows like this prove the scene is alive and well and promoter Alan Bates told me he has plans for three or four more in the next year or so. The shows he has put on are for the benefit of the artists and he is to be applauded for helping to fill a gaping hole in the South London music scene.
