REVIEW

STOMPIN' DAVE

ELECTRIC PALACE, BRIDPORT

AS a newcomer to Bridport, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I stepped into the Electric Palace for the first time, nor did I know anything about the band I was going to see, other than they played the blues and like to 'stomp', whatever that meant.

It turned out that I was in for a real treat.

Being a musician and fan of the blues, the ticket I had bought on a whim became a wise evening investment.

The Electric Palace was friendly and inviting, both as a building and thanks to its team, with a drink in my hand, I entered the classy auditorium set out with dance floor, cabaret and remaining stalls, with the bar at the back of the stalls a great touch.

By the time the music began, the atmosphere was buzzing and we were ready for action.

We were thrown in at the deep end of gritty, grinding blues.

I knew from the posters that the band was individually established on the blues scene, boasting plenty of accolades.

The tight intro and outro of each song was testament to close-knit three piece blues set up, something I hadn't seen for a long time.

Dave Allen gave us some entertaining guitar virtuoso performances, coupled with his own brand of 'stomping', tap dancing on a small raised box by his mic, at the same time as delivering that raunchy blues growl into the mic.

A bit of guitar acrobatics stayed just on the right side of 'showing off' and really helped to lift the entertainment value.

Earl Jackson held his post for most of the first half by delivering a wild range from his bass, moving from deep, velvet tones that gave the three piece a solid rounded sound, to a vast array of right hand technique.

He also delivered some blistering bass solos worthy of the applause they got, not the frontman at that point, but by no means tucked away.

Drums were in the hands of the cool Sam Kelly, blues cool.

He had a reassuring calmness about him, which is not a quality famous in drummers.

He was the exact opposite of the image you get of Metallica's Lars Ulrich, but with no less power and presence on the instrument.

Bands rely on the strength of a great drummer, and in Kelly's hands there appeared no other option than to play with class and blues passion.

The second half really kicked it up a gear with Dave Allen treating us all to a wide array of instruments and giving that box a serious stomping.

We were treated to more on the piano and a great touch of fiddle.

Earl Jackson headed up some numbers, showing us that award winning voice, and blew us away with his own blistering blues guitar. We were even treat to some Chuck Berry.

Sam Kelly thrashed out fills and solos that brought the whole three-piece together.

There was no one-upmanship, just really tight, explosive blues.

All the styles were there, from delta to bluegrass, ragtime to rock 'n' roll in a truly electric evening, with kept stretching with each encore.

I had gone out on a whim, but went home with a blues stomp in my step.

COLIN WARD