FOR those not in the know the Isle of Man is a music-loving
Island right in the heart of the Irish Sea.
And without question one of the most
important - and impressive - events on its calendar is the Big Wheel Blues
Festival.
Now in its teenage years, the festival,
held annually in Laxey, combines the very best of the blues scene
internationally with a high class standard of Island-based performers.
Over the years truly great acts such as
John Hammond and Watermelon Slim have graced the main stage, raising the bar so
high you wonder if such performances could ever be matched.
Yet the 2012 festival, headlined by Muddy
Waters’ eldest son Mud Morganfield and John Mayall’s former right hand man Buddy
Whittington, left many – including myself - believing they had witnessed the
very best Big Wheel Blues Festival yet.
The Manx festival differs from so many
others in that it offers two afternoons of music on two stages plus activities
for children, all for free. Only the evening gigs are ticketed events and
tickets for them are a bargain considering that there are always three world
class acts on the bill each night.
In the afternoons you will hear some
fantastic blues and roots music from local musicians in a range of styles.
The electric stage is always indoors, while
acoustic musicians play outdoors, weather permitting.
The sun shone on day one of the two day
festival, giving music lovers a chance to relax outside and hear some laid back
sounds.
Day two saw some mixed weather so the
decision was rightly made to move the acoustic performances indoors.
Among the electric acts was the Big Wheel
Blues Band consisting of members of the organising committee who are all
accomplished musicians in their own right.
The evening acts for day one were slide
guitar ace Kris Dollimore, energetic singer Cherry Lee Mewis and her band and
the aforementioned Mud Morganfield with his band.
Kris is a phenomenal slide player and while
his music took me back to the greats it was somehow modern too.
His performance – which featured a truly
great cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s Soul of a Man - was an incredible start to
two evenings of stunning music.
Up next was Cherry Lee Mewis and the
contrast in styles could not have been greater. The festival prides itself on
being open to different sounds and certainly Cherry and her band had commercial
appeal. Her bubbly personality and strong voice was a huge hit with the crowd –
particularly when she performed Janis Joplin classics including Mercedes Benz.
The headliner Mud Morganfield and his band
(featuring harmonica ace West Weston) brought a true taste of the city of
Chicago to the evening.
Mud looks like his dad and shares his
mannerisms. And while Muddy Waters songs were an important part of the set, this
was no straight forward tribute act. Mud is a great performer in his own right
and his own music sat side by side perfectly with that of his father’s.
At times I could almost picture being in a
South side club in the 1950s or 60s when Muddy ruled the Windy City - the sound
was so authentic. And it sounds as cool now as it no doubt did then.
Mud Morganfield is not only ensuring 21st
century audiences hear a style of music his father pioneered - he is doing it in
spellbinding fashion.
My verdict of Saturday night was that it
one of the best at the festival for years.
Sunday night was perhaps my favourite ever.
The main stage action began with Marcus
Bonfanti – one of the best acts in British blues today.
He’s also been a regular visitor to the
Island in the past few years so has built up something of a fan base here.
Marcus has it all – the musicianship, the songs, the voice, the look and bags of
charisma.
One man, one guitar and a growl that’s
somewhere between Howlin’ Wolf and Tom Waits.
Next up was Marcus’ mate Paddy Milner and
his band. Within minutes the spirit of New Orleans was conjured up and remained
in the room for the duration of Paddy’s virtuoso performance.
As a pianist Paddy is a genius. As a band
leader he is phenomenal. And his songwriting skills are superb.
The festival ended with an amazing
performance by Buddy Whittington and his band. Buddy comes from a long line of
legendary Texan guitarists. He might not (yet) be as famous as some of them, but
he deserves to be.
Armed with a battered Fender Stratocaster
and an impressive voice, Buddy proved why his former boss John Mayall described
him as ‘probably the greatest Bluesbreaker of them all’. When someone follows in
the footsteps of Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor among others that’s a
big claim to make.
But after seeing Buddy in concert Mr Mayall
may have had it spot on.
The festival committee – who are all
volunteers – were responsible for a world class event that was fun, family
friendly and, quite simply, fantastic.
Money was also raised for a Manx charity
too – the Children’s Centre.
The 2013 festival has a lot to live up to
but if anyone can face that challenge it’s the Big Wheel Blues Festival
organisers.
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