Some reviews of the band live.
ORKNEY BLUES FESTIVAL 2002 by Liz Wood

Saturday Afternoon

Up bright and early, determined no' to miss anything, especially breakfast. Jim & Rho surfaced not long after us and we kinda planned our day from there. Checked out Stromness shops and already laden with gifts to take home (and to keep). This is an unbelievable wee place. There's no' really streets and pavements there's just well, places to walk and drive, so narrow they should be one-way but aren't. We just love the place. Anyway, the music is to get going again in the afternoon and we head along to the Strommy for the Glebe Street gig which was meant to be unplugged but Allan said, F*** it and brought the place to life with their full sound and it was absolutely fabulous as always. Got some really good shots with the camera too, they're in the Glebe's Picture Album. Next up are The Lone Star Swing Band but the most exciting thing here and now was a poor bridegroom getting blackened and feathered in the back of a pick-up truck outside the Strommy which we watched from the window. Time for a sharp exit to do some more "shopping" then went on to The Ferry Inn for tea.

Saturday Night

We have our tea at The Ferry Inn and are kept waiting so long that we decided then that we would eat somewhere else tomorrow night but meanwhile because of the long wait for our tea, we have to run, almost literally, to the Academy for what was to become the highlight of the weekend for us - the Glebes with Gerry Jablonski (see dedicated pages for more about Gerry and the Glebes). Got to the Academy fair oot o' puff but deriliously happy and that was before they lifted a guitar. Then they come on and take centre-stage and they are just amazing. Dressed all in black with his brilliant freaky hair, Gerry has the white, left-handed and upside down Fender. Joining him are Segz on lead-guitar, Gaz on bass and Billy on drums. They gave a performance like their very lives depended on it, every ounce of energy went into this performance, (Like Jim Morrison of The Doors said to Pam, the love of his life, (Yeah Patricia, read it and weep) when she asked why he'd put so much into a performance when there were only 3 people there to see them, "You never know when it's your last performance")! The audience loved it, we craved more and more, and got it too. Here were 4 guys each at ease with the other, no egos or attitude, just fantastic music. They brought the place down with their rendition of Led Zep's Whole Lotta Love, they did it better than Zep!

Midway there's a raffle and one of the prizes was a signed poster for this Academy gig and it's signed by Gerry and the Glebes. I want that poster desperately but it went to someone else but, the very next prize goes to Dunc and guess what it is - a £25 voucher for a meal at the Ferry Inn!

This has been the most memorable gig EVER for us and we've been to many, from Peter Gabriel, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Genesis (post Gabriel unfortunately) to Bay City Rollers (yep, that was my first ever gig but I was just a teeny mind). We just don't want the gig to end but unfortunately it does but after loadsa shouting, the lads come out once more and strut their stuff. The white Fender even takes flight for a moment but thankfully, Gerry catches it as we all watch with bated breath. All too soon though, it really does come to an end and the 6 of us run all the way back to The Strommy for Rev Doc's who were also good but nothing else can now touch the Glebes and Gerry, we're hooked. We eventually hit the sack about 2.30 am but sleep won't come cos my heads just buzzing, what a brill night we've had and the festival isn't over yet. There's still tomorrow......

DUNDEE BLUES BONANZA 06-07/07/02
Another great Dundee Blues Bonanza with superb music, brilliant atmosphere and huge crowds to make it the best
one yet.
Saturday, at the early hour of 1.30pm, saw me enter the doors of O'Neill's to start my personal tour of different
venues, and listen to blues veteran Eric Cuthbertson kick off the day with his unique style of guitar/harmonica music
along with his great Glasgow humour. Next I was up to The Globe to listen to Eraser Rinn play some great
acoustic guitar/harmonica blues. Lovat Fraser (ex Arhoolies) has teamed up with Richard Rinn and together had the
by now large crowd eating out of their hands.
After a short break John Bruce plus a young harmonica player and Lovat Fraser played a brilliant acoustic set and
everybody in The Globe had a great time. It's the first time I've heard John play this type of music and was most
impressed.
Next I was off to The Fun Pub to see the Glebe Street Blues Band, and I've to thank the Editor for getting such quick
service at the bar. He's slightly bigger than me (by about a foot) and was more noticeable to the bar staff.
As usual Seggs, Billy and new bass player Gary played an exciting set and had the huge crowd really jumping. The
new line up sounds really good and the future for the Glebes looks promising. After this it was off to see local
Tayside band Wolftrain, with their young brass section and not-so-young other musicians at Huxters. They really
had the joint going. Bob Telford on guitar/piano and vocals, plus harmonica as usual fronted the band superbly and
showed what blues is all about
The Rendezvous was the next port of call and local band Amos Moses. They are a much more rock-orientated band
but still went down well with the large crowd.
After this it was over to listen to the Andy Gunn Band at MacDaniels. I've heard Andy many times in the past and he
sounded as good as I've ever heard him. Some of his playing was very funky and, along with drums and bass, his
band is a very tight unit
Last call of the day for me was the Beat Bar to listen to Dougie Martin (ex Mafia) and his new band. By now the
Beck's had most definitely caught up with me and I only heard three numbers but they sounded very good before I
retired home for an early night
Sunday saw me enter the Dundee Contemporary Arts at 1pm to catch Mud In Your Ear, a three-piece band who play
mostly old blues numbers from the 40's and 50*s. Very relaxing and nice to listen to. A quiet start to the day. Next it
was up to Rok Stop to see The Cobramatics from Glasgow and what a set they played. It*s the first time I've heard
them live and was really impressed. They are a great band with a brilliant brass section of two saxes. Must see them
again.
After this it was over to The Globe to listen to Roy Matte from near London. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and a
great voice he entertained the crowd and went down well. He had a good sense of humour as well Popl Nero was
the next venue and Dundee jazz heroes Havana Swing. They have a big following in this area and put on a good
show for the large crowd. One of the great things about the festival so far has been the variation in types of music.
Although it's a Blues festival, other music like Havana Swing is featured and all credit to the promoters for doing
this.
Edinburgh band Blues Inc are on at MacDaniels and sound really great They are very raunchy and play their music
with a tot of drive. They are one of the best bands I've heard this weekend. It's down to the Rendezvous to see Plan
B, an 8-piece soul band with a touch of blues rock. They are mainly ex Mafia, so have played together a long time. A
packed crowd thoroughly enjoyed them and their star man, singer Davy Amos.
Next and last for me it was off to No 1 to see Killing Floor, who hail from the West Coast They were mostly a rock
band but played a smattering of blues as well. The female singer sounded like Maggie Bell and the twin guitars
sounded awesome on some of the rock classics. A great band to finish my Blues festival for 2002.
A big thank you and congratulations to all the committee for their efforts and organisation in making it two
tremendous days of music. Can't wart till next year. Gaz





SATANS SLAVES BIKE RALLY - CRAIL 20-21/07/02
This years' Satans Slaves Festival was hit hard by the terrible Scottish weather and though the crowd was up on the
Friday, the heavy rain affected the Saturday attendance and the bands ended up playing in the marquee instead of
outside.
First on the Friday night were Dundee band Amos Moses and, as their name suggests, they had a liking for 70" s and
80's rock They played a mixture of rock classics and the highpoint of their set was their own title. The Sensational
Alex Harvey Band would have approved. Next on were another Dundee band, Independence, who's singer Frankie
Cosgrove appeared as usual in a kilt and gave an over the top display of what a rock front man should do. The high
point of their set was a Led Zeppelin medley running five Zep classics into 15 minutes. Another good band who,
along with Amos Moses, had appeared at the recent Dundee Blues Bonanza.
Next up were one of the editor's favourite bands, namely the Glebe Street Blues Band, And what a set they played.
Seggs was in great form and Dr. Feelgood, ZZ Top and Jimi Hendrix were all given a good airing. The new rhythm
section of Billy Petrie and Gary Cree was tight and allowed Seggs a lot of freedom on guitar. Anybody who likes
good rock/blues music with lots of excitement has to like the Glebes. A good Friday night at Crail to be followed by
an equally enjoyable Saturday.
First on were Broken Spur, who used to be the Jimmie Nelson Blues Band. Anyone who's seen Jimmie play live
knows what a talent he has and he didn't disappoint at Crail. With Andy Menzies on bass and Martin McDonald on
drums and new singer from Perth, Davie Freebum, Broken Spur played a brilliant set to kick off the Saturday night
with a bang and get everybody in the mood for a great nights' music.
Next on were Fife's own Lights Out By Nine, who are now an 8-piece line up with Al Hughes on vocals. I haven't
seen them for quite a while and most of their set came from their new album, so the tracks were all new to me.
There's some great songs and the by now large crowd enjoyed their 80 minute set. They are a band who has been
around for a long time yet still sound fresh as they change their music constantly.
Next on was another Fife act - Bons Balls, who are one of the best AC/DC tribute bands around. They didn't just
sound like AC/DC, they looked like them as well. Classic tracks featured were "The Jack", "Let There Be Rock" and a
brilliant encore of "Whole Lotta Rosie". Bons Balls were on stage over 90 minutes and, in true AC/DC fashion, didn't
let the show flag once.
All in all a great weekend at Crail, even with the rain, and congrats to the Satans Slaves for a great festival of good
music. See you next year. Gaz