• From: Oxfordshire, England
  • Registered: 2008-11-10
  • Posts: 835

Topic: Jack Bruce & Robin Trower supported by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Jack Bruce and Robin Trower played the Shepherds Bush Empire on 5th August supported by Joanne Shaw Taylor.

I had a standing ticket and got there about 7:30 to find no queue and not many people once I got inside. Got myself a beer and sidled towards the stage to find I was in the 3rd row of people back from the centre of the stage. A good spot which I kept, more or less, all evening. Got chatting to a bloke wearing a RAH t-shirt although I don't think he's on the forum.

More people started arriving once Joanne started her set at 8:00. Much of the audience were middle aged blokes like me and quite a few around me clearly hadn't come across Joanne before. But once she started playing they were going “she's good isn't she?” and after the set was over quite a few went off to buy her CD from the merch stall. She only played for about half and hour which was a shame as she had really warmed up by the end of the set and I (and many others) could have gladly listened to a full hour of her music. By the time Joanne had finished her set the place had filled up nicely (a bit like the Derek Trucks concert I went to at the same venue) and she got a warm send off from the audience. Being near the stage I couldn't help noticing that she does pull some very funny faces when she's playing her guitar solos but it only adds to the show. I too bought her CD on the strength of her performance. I'm very much looking forward to seeing her again at the Leamington blues day.

Now on to Jack Bruce. There was some discussion under “Joe and the credit crunch” in the General section recently where some people thought that Jack was maybe past it and just going through the motions when performing. Not so! He may be 66 but he's clearly still got a passion for his music and so has Robin Trower come to that. Sure, they only did one encore and the performance lasted about 1 ¾ hours but I certainly didn't feel short changed. The band put their hearts and souls into their performance. The set list was mainly the tracks from Seven Moons plus 4 old Cream numbers - Sunshine Of Your Love, White Room, We're Going Wrong and Politician for the encore.

Sunshine Of Your Love started off quite recognisably but ended in a great long jam (did I recognise a bit of Jumping Jack Flash in there somewhere?). There were a couple of other extended jams where they got completely off theme and then, like a jazz number, got back to the melody after a while. Robin Trower isn't a guitarist I've followed much in the past but his playing was sharp and his tone crisp and clear. And he loves the wah pedal which is fine by me.

I have to say though that some of the high notes from RT's guitar and JB's vocals were causing a little distress to some people's ears (not me I had my faithful attenuating ear plugs in) as the volume was pretty high. One chap stuffed tissues in his ears and a man near me was visibly wincing at the high notes. I must also give a mention to Jack Bruce' speaker cabinets which were a popular topic of conversation while the roadies were setting up. Boy, did they look good with the metal mesh on the front and the shiny silver cones visible through the mesh. You just knew you were in for some gut wobbling bass! If anyone's interested they were Hartke.

So I had a great time. Joanne was fantastic and Jack and Robin, with the powerful Gary Husband on drums, showed that the old blokes can still put on a fine show.

  • Registered: 2008-02-14
  • Posts: 2,578

Re: Jack Bruce & Robin Trower supported by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Thanks for the review Curryman, sounds like you had a good night. I saw them the following night in Glasgow. Joanne is impressive isn't she?
Glad you enjoyed the main course more than I did...  We had the same loud volumes from Trower's guitar too, part of the reason I left early.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
  • From: Norddeutschland
  • Registered: 2008-12-03
  • Posts: 1,458

Re: Jack Bruce & Robin Trower supported by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Echoing Greenose's comments thanks for the concert review.

So much looking foward to catching JST's next swing through Deutschland. White Sugar is a constant daily play at the moment.

RT and Jack Bruce cancelled their Hamburg gig,although I wouldn't have been able to go anyway. However, I can confirm the comments about RT's loudness. I am a big fan of Robin going right band to the start of his solo career. I saw him many times in the 70's when he was playing large venues. I can actually recall MM reviewing an Empire Pool gig from the mid 70's where they confirmed he was the loudest act to play there up to that point.

I caught him last year in Hamburg at the small 'Blues Garage' and unfortunately he was way too loud for the venue. I know his effects laden playing requires a bit of welly, but I think he has to realise he is not playing enormodomes any more and turn it down.

He's still got the chops so there is no need to ram it down our ears. He and his sound team need to review their approach. He's a great player, its a shame if he is alienating people at this late stage in his career through volume! Smaller venues need a bit more consideration. That said, Shepherds Bush is a reasonable size. If he is still too loud there then someone needs to whisper in his ear. Or maybe shout..........

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

4 Reply by crossroads (edited by crossroads 2009-08-15 00:20:15)

  • From: England
  • Registered: 2008-07-04
  • Posts: 265

Re: Jack Bruce & Robin Trower supported by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Glad you had a good gig,  Currymandavid, good review,shame about the sound levels - I hate it when they do that and it just isn't wanted by the audience. I like Robin Trower a lot (big fan of Jack as well)  and the guitarist I play with is a massive fan of RT's 70's catalogue and rates Trower more highly than Clapton and Hendrix. I don't agree with that, but I give Bridge Of Sighs an outing every six months or so.

This sound level thing really needs to be addressed in the industry.When this issue was aired on this forum, following a Joe Cardiff gig, I note that The Man didn't choose to make any comment , so I don't know how Joe views this issue.

Clapton , for instance, is almost totally deaf - he says so in his autobiography.

No need to make us deaf as well. Like others , I usually take a pair of pro ear plugs to gigs, just in case.Invariably, if I forget them, it's a loud one.I have walked out of gigs in the past for this reason.

No Ordinary Joe
  • From: Durham England
  • Registered: 2008-11-12
  • Posts: 87

Re: Jack Bruce & Robin Trower supported by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Amazon kindly just recommended me a new Robin Trower album - What Lies Beneath

Any of you guys care to let me know if it's any good or not? I have liked RT for a long time - both solos stuff and the jack Bruce collaborations.