Painswick Blues – 28/29 Jan 2005
The Amazing and Awesome Never the Bride accompanied by the very talented Susy Thomas took the Painswick Blues Club by storm on this weekend. I was a Never the Bride live virgin on their first night. but definitely not after that initiation. If the wonderful Nikki Lamborn says it’s Saturday it’s Saturday.
I had it on good authority both the venue and NTB were going to provide some riveting entertainment, but nothing prepared me for what I got. This five piece band are now very experienced and know how to interact with the audience right from the off. Lead vocalist Nikki has an enormous sassy presence on stage and off. Nikki and Catherine “Been” Feeney write all their very original material. These women exude their souls in their music and lyrics. Women Blues fans all over the world can identify with this musical extravaganza.
On to the blokes… The lead guitarist is the fabulous Murray Gould, not only is he the most modest guitarist you could hope to see, he comes with a remarkable C.V. like the others in this band, having played with Elton John and Dido. His solo was just amazing, but he is a true team player and really rocks with the others. Drummer John Tonks too is a remarkable musician and has worked with Danni Minogue and Steve Winwood, proving his versatility. Greg Harewood is the bass guitarist and has played with James Brown, amongst other high calibre musicians. Greg clearly enjoys playing with the band and pulls off some astonishing riffs. Nikki has a huge powerful voice that can be likened to an angel or a demon: she has such a range and takes her singing very seriously. Been makes love to her keyboard; she puts so much feeling into her work. Her voice on “Kiss Kiss” is extraordinary and together with Nikki they work the band so tight. Been also loves her old 12 string guitar (with its brightness button) and performs beautifully on it.
We were treated to a rare performance of melodies and rock and blues. The audience went wild when they played “The Living Tree” from their Surprise album. The whole show was such a pleasure; for me the wonderfully simple but so effective “Count to Ten“, requested by Val and Paul our hosts, was something I will never forget.
Over the course of the two gigs, the band performed sixteen songs. Their merchandise slogan “I’d Do It For You” is also on the Surprise album and their brilliant DVD entitled For Richer, For Poorer. It certainly did it for the audience, some of whom had travelled from as far away as Holland to hear them again. This band has a real followmg, and it is such a shame their stupendous talent is not recognized by the music industry here in the UK. We should be proud to promote raw talent and experience like you will see and hear at a Never The Bride gig. Talking of slogans. “Just Do It”
Helen Steele
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