Gig - Bishopstock 2001: Page 2 (Saturday)

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Saturday kicked off at 12.00 on the dot with Amor, the band led by ex-Hoax member John Amor. Good, solid, heavy riffing blues with a contemporary edge. Very different to the Hoax but none the worse for that and a fine start to the first day. Ana Popovic was next up, a vocalist and guitarist with a growing reputation. Her performance got stronger as the set developed but I didn't hear anything truly exceptional or noteworthy in the set.

One of the highlights of Saturday, G.B. Leighton delivered a terrific and soulful rock and roll set. OK, he's closer to Springsteen than Sonny Boy, but it was passionate, melodic and highly entertaining stuff; and he looked as though he was enjoying himself. A great live act and just what the afternoon needed, kick starting the festival with great songs, humour and enthusiasm. The largely acoustic blues of Michael Messer proved a nice change of pace and emphasis and got the approval of the die hard blues fans in the audience. Great guitar playing, stunning slide work and a range of material from the CD "King Guitar". The band was excellent, but the supporting female vocalist was a mistake and clearly didn't know the material well enough.

Taj doing his stuff

Courtney Pine was an interesting addition to the line-up, broadening the once blues only festival even further. A clear favourite of many in the crowd, there was a fine atmosphere to the set, a good mix of material and fantastic playing from Courtney, including a wander through the crowd on one of the numbers. Some of the improvisation left the Primer a little cold (not the Primer's bag, not Courtney's problem). Next up was a real treat, Booker T. and the MGs playing in the UK for the first time in twelve years. Better than we had any right to expect, they played a cracking set. All the usual suspects got an airing, we had a Green Onions 'follow-up' and a great rendition of Paul Simon's Mrs. Robinson. 120 years of collective experience on stage and it showed. Seeing these guys live made you realise just how good they are and what a contribution they made to so many of the great Stax releases.

Saturday night climaxed with Taj Mahal as the headliner, his second straight appearance at the festival. We finished in typical Taj style - the usual good vibe, an eclectic mix of soul, blues, reggae and a little calypso delivered with his usual good humour. It has to be said however, that the set was not a radically different from the previous year.

[ Introduction ] [ Sunday ] [ Monday ]