NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC
NIGHTS
What we said about The George Shovlin
Band
As promised, it was just about 9:00 when the band took the stage, and you had the impression, as casual and shambolic as the lads appeared (that's George Shovlin on acoustic guitar, George Lamb on slide guitar, with Ian Hamilton on drums and Stu Burlison on bass), that the emphasis was going to be on the music, rather than the presentation.
It was loud, as the first song, 'I'll warn you baby' spilled through George's vocal cords, and the three guitars meshed nearly seamlessly after a moment's nervous tuning jangle. And then this whooshing sort of organ prelude sound emanated from the big speakers, and you knew George Lamb was warm and ready to thrill.
'That's all right' was brilliant classic blues, the sort you can sing along to, and if your own voice, timing or pitch are slightly uncertain, then the nicest thing about having loud music enveloping you is that in this sort of surround-sound nobody can hear you!
But George Shovlin's voice never faltered, and although George Lamb took some seriously high risks on lead guitar, neither did any false note erupt from his fingers. 'The Great Titanic' was a great song, if idiosyncratic for a blues piece, as the theme would seem more of a folk concern.
Back after the break with 'I love you little woman' we were well back into real blues territory, and especially with the Muddy Waters lyric, 'Hear my phone ringin', sounds like a long-distance call' -- with the inevitable betrayal -- 'Another mule in your stall'. The high keening of the guitar, and the passion of George's voice, like Van Morrison's only with personality, really began to gel on these numbers, and especially on the' title' track of the band's new CD, 'Got Love -- if you want it'.
An interlude of relatively indifferent numbers saw a gradual diminution of the audience, as the themes of murder in West Virginia, a woman named Desirée, and an idiosyncratic interpretation of Leadbelly's Bourgeois Blues failed to inspire.
But the band cooked it all back together with a sparkling 'Georgia', and 'Rhythm of the Hips', and we knew we were all 'Born to Bop'. 'My baby is so sweet' and 'Take a long long look at yourself' finished off the evening, with a spot of frenetic dancing in the back, and the voice and lead guitar will remain in our heads for a long time to come.
