We witnessed a very special evening at the Muse in Brecon on Friday, as Remi Harris and friends paid tribute to the the legendary Peter Green.
Remi has played for us at the Muse before, so we already knew what a superb guitarist he is. But on this occasion he was joined by three other brilliant musicians: vocalist and percussionist Dave Small, bassist Tom Moore, and drummer Shane Dixon.
It’s a testament to the band, and the quality of the music, that the gig had sold out completely many weeks in advance. And as they launched into their first number, the classic Black Magic Woman, we were immediately reminded of the brilliance of Peter Green’s songwriting, while at the same time struck by this band’s ability to summon up that timeless, hypnotic bluesy feel of the early Fleetwood Mac.
Remi Harris has more than ample skill to recreate Peter Green’s distinctive guitar tone: the delicacy of melody, and the plaintive, echo-laden cry of the high strings. This was very much to the fore in the band’s beautiful rendition of Jumping at Shadows, then the deeply emotional Oh Well Part 2 dedicated to the much-loved and much-missed Dani, and, of course, in Man of the World.
But this was no mere exercise in imitation. Inevitably, for a musician of his calibre, Remi’s own artistry and emotion shine through, resulting in an interpretation of the music that is fresh and authentic to himself.
Of course, this is also true of the whole band – the result is a sound that is true to the original, yet very much infused with their own musicality and improvisation. And together, they are clearly having a whole lot of fun along the way.
Dave Small is a great front-man for the band, with a rich, expressive voice ideally suited to this classic blues material, and a magnetic physicality to his stage presence; he had people up and dancing from the very first number.
Special mention must be made of the contributions of Shane Dixon and Tom Moore on drums and bass, respectively. It must be no easy task performing Fleetwood Mac material when you’re following in the footsteps of two such legends, but Shane and Tom were more than equal to the task. From the gentle, pulsating heartbeat of Albatross through to the raunchy blues of Stop Messin’ Around, they provided an authentic and tasteful rhythmic foundation.
Two moments truly stood out, where the band pushed their sound to amazing heights of intensity. There was a searingly psychedelic version of The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown), in which all four musicians really let rip – Dave trading funky conga percussion riffs with Shane, whilst Remi and Tom ground out the song’s thunderously menacing riff. Then, in their extended version of Rattlesnake Shake, you could tell that the band were really enjoying themselves, improvising and swapping ideas with one another, then once more fusing into a formidable surge of bluesy energy.
Their choice of material was also excellent and thoughtful: this was certainly not a mere ‘greatest hits’ repertoire, and it was a real pleasure to hear some less well-known numbers from Peter Green’s earlier days in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, as well as the wonderfully retro bluesy rock of Homework from Mr. Wonderful.
To finish, an irresistibly blistering version of Oh Well Part 1 had the audience up on its feet, dancing and calling for more. As they swung into an equally upbeat Shake Your Moneymaker, the set drew to a close, and the audience left knowing that they had been privileged to witness such an excellent and professional group of artists in the intimate and welcoming setting of the Muse.
If you get a chance, you should also check out this band’s other project: The Blues Rock Roadshow, featuring music by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, and Free, as well as Peter Green.
https://www.thebluesrockroadshow.com/
As ever, many thanks to everyone who joined together to make this excellent evening possible, to the Muse for their hospitality, and to everyone who turned out to support live music. See you at the next one!
Photos by Barry Hill
Review by Jim Kerslake
