Moanin’ the blues
On Friday 26th September the after work crowd in Soho were out in force and by 7pm the Ain’t Nothing But… blues bar was already packed. To get a seat in this place you’ve either gotta be one of the first through the door or simply get as close to the front as humanly possible, wait for somebody to leave and be ready to pounce on the first vacant seat you clap eyes on. That’s if you’re lucky enough for someone to leave early – a rare event to say the least. ‘Ain’t nothin but…’ has a great vibe, reasonably priced drinks and consistently offers up the best blues acts playing in London, so once people are in, they’re probably gonna stay.
The first band of the night was The Bluematics. This outfit certainly isn’t the loudest and wildest of act on the circuit but there’s enough energy radiating from the drummer’s seemingly permanent, beaming smile and sublimely swinging beats to keep the whole room happy. Additionally, some tasteful and reserved harp playing from the bands charismatic frontman helped cement the Bluematics rendition of Muddy Water’s Hoochie Coochie Man as the highlight song of the evening.
Next up was the main act of the night: Gentleman Tim and The Contenders. At first these guys seemed just a tad too clinical. There was something about their endings and solo sections that seemed too precise and rehearsed. This isn’t always a bad thing of course but for a Blues band, it seemed disappointing that their perfected precision had left little room for improvising.
Things soon changed dramatically however and it wasn’t long before a string of smoking hot guitar solos got the crowd cheering and loosened things up a little. Before long, the band had nurtured a great atmosphere within the club and maintained it throughout their seemingly endless set.
One can only wonder, has frontman Tim Corbett visited those famous crossroads and done his own deal with the devil? This guy plays the harmonica like no one else on the circuit and seemed to just keep getting better as the night went on. To see for yourself you won’t have to wait long, Gentleman Tim and The Contenders return with the Bluematics to Ain’t nothing but on Friday 17th October. You’ll get free entry if you’re there before 8:30pm and- if you’re savvy – you might even get a seat!
– Nick Vaughan
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