Topic: Virgil and the Accelerators @ All Saints Arts Centre, 25 September
I guess those of you who have followed Joe's career right from the early days will know this feeling but it's a real pleasure to see a young band progressing and building up a reputation.
Virgil and the Accelerators have got better and better each time I've seen them but last Saturday's performance was a quantum leap. With new bassist Jack Timmis and with the added keyboards of Will Mason they really have started to produce a very individual sound.
The rockin' songs are great as always but it's when they get down to a bit of jamming or play a deep slow blues that you can tell they are the real deal. Virgil's singing has matured into something pretty special and Gabriel's drumming holds it all together nicely. I've got to say that their stage presence is developing a treat – check out the photos of Virgil and Jack to see what I mean.
The support slot was taken up by Jake Rigden who has only just turned 15. In his intro Pete Feenstra, the promoter of the show, told us that Jake plays solo at the moment because he can't find a rhythm section of kids his age who like playing blues. That's a shame because Jake is an excellent player and certainly a name to watch. When he came on and jammed with VATA he held his own with no trouble. Lets hope he can get a band together before long and start building up a fan base like Virgil & co.
Some photos here of a great night.......
