Gig - Bishopstock 2001: Page 4 (Monday)
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A relatively local group (the Blue Bishops) kicked off the proceedings on Bank Holiday Monday (it should have been Justin Adams, see below) and this in itself set alarm bells ringing for the rest of the day's lineup (alarm bells that were duly answered when Johnny Winter was unable to perform). All I can tell you about the group is that they had Wishbone Ash's Martin Turner on bass, a couple of them apparently ran a pub not too far from Bishopstock and they played a raft of standards, anything from Muddy Waters through to Free. Not quite what we were expecting. The three finalists of the Bishopstock Young Musician Of The Year awards then got their chance to shine on the main stage. Two guitarists and a young female vocalist - my choice would have been either of the guitarists (Andy Cortes in particular), but the singer got the nod. Too much of a Janis Joplin fixation for my taste.
Ben Andrews played a fine acoustic set, much appreciated by the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation and pulled him back for an encore. Lovely anecdotes about meeting some of the old acoustic blues masters peppered the material, much of which came from the acclaimed album "Gallows Pole" (heartily recommended for those who like virtuoso acoustic blues). A fine set and a lovely tribute to Eva Cassidy (with whom Andrews had played). The tempo then increased dramatically when The Fins hit the stage, showcasing their hard driving r&b, jump and swing styles. I love this genre and they pull the styles
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| Gary Moore cooking up a storm |
The Primer had marked down Sue Foley's set as another potential highlight of the weekend and she showcased both her command of a number of blues styles and her fine guitar playing. Maybe I was expecting too much, but on this occasion I didn't hear a particularly strong vocalist (certainly not what the albums had led me to expect) or witness a particularly exciting set. OK, I did have an ever increasingly troublesome toothache by now and I guess my reactions were coloured by that, but I missed the individuality and style to be found on her studio recordings. Good band though. Gary Moore is not a particular favourite of the Primer, but he played an exceptionally fine set. He was up for it, he chose his material well and his playing was powerful and refreshingly subtle in equal measure. His guitar playing on 'Still Got The Blues' should still make the coldest heart melt. In retrospect, given the non-appearance of Johnny Winter, he should have headlined the Monday line-up.
Justin Adams and the Wayward Sheikhs then had to deliver their set in a near to headlining slot position when they were expecting to play much earlier in the day. Adams has a very individual and interesting style, mixing blues with electronic improvisations and eastern imagery. Fascinating and demanding stuff but not ideally placed in the running order. In the absence of Johnny Winter, the London Community Gospel Choir agreed to turn their tour bus around and come back to Bishopstock and headlined for the second day running. Hats off to them for doing so (and a thumbs down to the few idiots who took their disappointments out on a group who appeared at such short notice) and for delivering such a rousing and inspiring finale to the festival. Their rendition of Bill Withers' 'Lean On Me' deserves a particular mention. But by then, even the weather had turned against this year's festival and it had got decidedly chilly and many people decided it was time to head for home.
Probably the least musically satisfying day of the three, the festival as a whole was still, paradoxically given all the problems, a real success. Whether we'll ever see another one is a moot point now I'm afraid......
Footnote: And of course, we never did.
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