Review of “Black Rose” at:

The Romany, Northampton on 29/01/05

 By: Gaby

 This was a treat of a gig and a gig that I would describe as being a performance for musicians and music-lovers alike. More about that later.

 Firstly I just wanted to note the sheer talent on offer from this popular threesome who delivered a set of classic rock covers including everything from Thin Lizzy to Motorhead.

 What for me was especially nice was their choice of set, as many of the songs were perhaps not as well known as the many rock anthems played by similar cover bands doing the circuit.

 Having said this, it is a double edged-sword as many of these songs may not have been so well known to a more general pub audience and so lack the familiarity that might have otherwise encouraged more audience participation.

 It was a real treat to see such fine musicians playing their trade with such skill and obvious enjoyment. There was no doubt in my mind that these 3 guys are serious musicians playing the music they love and according to their gig list are certainly not short of a gig or two.

 The front man / lead singer amazingly played both rhythm and lead guitar to a high calibre and for the majority of their set was precise and spot on.

 Whilst bringing up the rear the bass player and drummer provided the bass and beats to almost perfection. There were times when I felt that the drums slightly over-shadowed the guitars but this really is only a minor point.

 The only thing for me that might have been lacking is a sense of performance passion that manifests itself in stage presence and audience engagement.

 At times it felt as if the guys were playing their set for the benefit of themselves alone. Though polished the performance did not allow or give permission for the audience to sing along or for that matter shake their stuff. It was therefore a rather static performance except for perhaps their bass player prowling the stage on occasion.

 No one could doubt the musical virtuosity of this musical trio which really was a joy to sit and listen to, but as far as a night out’s entertainment the performance itself could have been made more of for the benefit of a widely diverse audience.

 This was a band that should and needs to be listened to and unfortunately for some the music is just not enough alone to grab their attention and their imaginations.

 Audience interaction and participation is a crucial (and often over-looked) part of any performance and responsibility for this in my humble opinion always lies with the band.

 To sum up, I loved this band and will happily look forward to catching them next time round, my suggestion is you do too!