Joanne Shaw Taylor Arlington Arts Centre Newbury 23-10-15


















































First up were Federal Charm who have just released their excellent second album Across The Divide and if this 30 minute set is anything to go by they won't be supporting anybody soon.

Led by the excellent vocals of Nick Bowden who also plays guitar and his guitar sidekick Paul Bowe they were a great double act trading solo's and showing a maturity and stage craft beyond their years.

Tracks from the new album included the superb Hercules which is all stop start swaggering riff and big chorus and the fun time Give Me Something and set closer Silhouette.

The highlight was mid set with a lengthy slow blues number called Reconsider from their debut ep that built from slow beginnings and Nick showing off his vocal range to a mid song crescendo with both Nick and Paul playing guitar solo's and showing their versatility and ability.Band's at this stage of their career shouldn't be writing show stoppers like this.

They left to huge applause and from the amount of people talking to the band at the merch stand as we left they picked a lot of new fans and I look forward to seeing them again soon.


I saw Joanne Shaw Taylor support Black Country Communion back in 2010 and now with 4 albums under her belt and countless miles on the road she is now the finished article.

With a very healthy sized crowd roaring their approval Joanne played songs from through out her career or as she called it the Greatest Hits tour!!

For just over an hour and a half we were treated to an exhibition of wonderful bluesy guitar playing and smoky vocals all played with a passion and straight from the heart.

Here is what she played.

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  7. (acoustic)
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  12. Encore
  13. The Dirty Truth

Starting with the staccato stop start riff of Mud Honey,Joanne and her able deputies Oliver Perry (drums) and Tom Godlington (bass) are at it right from the word go.The fiery fast fingered guitar solo was superb and what I love is the light and shade they put into a song.Straight after the solo the band take it down a notch before building it up to an even better second solo.Joanne's vocal style is breathless and even with a heavy cold for which she kept apologising she impressed.

Outlaw Angel was next with it's big riff and the soloing on this song took it up another notch or two.What I love about watching Joanne is that she is always smiling and enjoying her playing.One solo she ripped in front of us and half way through she gave out a yeah as she was obviously impressing herself!!Yes we saw many solo's but all have a different style and features and are superbly put together and show an understanding of pacing and phrasing that few can match.

Wrecking Ball is a ball of funk with superb vocals and the rhythm team showing a near telepathic understanding before the band mellowed it down for a superb Tried Tested And True.Joanne poured her emotion into the vocal and the guitar soloing showed it doesn't have to be about how many notes are played and how fast either!!

Her between song talking with the crowd showed how her confidence has grown and talks about how you shouldn't date a musician as her writing style shows!!

Mid set we had a 2 song acoustic interlude with Joanne on her own for a thoughtful Almost Always Never with the audience lost in thought too and listening to every note.


Clearing away the chairs for the Texas blues stomp of Watch 'em Burn with a fuzzed up guitar riff at it's core and a harder edged vocal.The excellent sound in the venue should also be applauded giving all musician's the chance to be heard at all times whether at full volume or in the quieter periods too.The lengthy soloing from Joanne show how she has upped her game and should now be seen as one of the finest players on the planet.No two solo's are the same and you start to think what will she show us next!!

Time Has Come starts from slow beginnings and develops into an instrumental master class with again great back up from the rhythm team as Joanne goes through every emotion in playing and leaving us all spellbound before Going Home ends the set in style with a big rock riff near the end of the song taking it up yet another notch.

Returning for the encore of The Dirty Truth which she described as a song about shooting her boyfriend which leaves you to think the message is don't cross her!!

As she leans back and let's off another solo of top top quality passion and feel you think about how far she has come and how lucky we are here in the UK to call her one of our own.

A superb night that just confirmed Joanne Shaw Taylor as the UK's finest blues exponent and her star continues to ascend.



 All photo's credited to Sean Cameron Photographic.



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