BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION
John Henry's Limited, London, UK - 20th September 2010
Line-up: Black Country Communion
Review by Jon Wilde, photos (copyright) Christie Goodwin
This is a very pleasant first...
I've been invited to album launch gigs before, but for various reasons I've never been able to make them. Black Country Communion - Glenn Hughes on vocals and bass, Joe Bonamassa on vocals and guitar, Jason Bonham on drums, and Derek Sherinian on keys - seemed like a bloody good way to lose my metaphorical cherry.
The gig, an invitation only 'intimate' affair with competition winners, journalists, and select other bods (perhaps 150 in total), was at John Henry's (http://www.johnhenrys.com/) in London. The place is a maze of studios and rehearsal rooms. To all intents and purposes it's a rather special place to see anyone play. The room downstairs where BCC were to play was only a few times the size of my lounge. As I say, this was an intimate gig.
Photo credit Christie Goodwin
The evening began upstairs. There was a meet and greet with the band members for the competition winners there through Planet Rock (who incidentally were broadcasting the gig live). Time for a beer, a few complimentary nibbles and down for the night's entertainment.
I should start by saying I hold a certain bias towards Glenn Hughes as I find his voice simply incredible, I know a lot of people find his forays into the land of ultrasonic screeching beyond their taste, but not me. To my ears this guy is one of the finest singers anywhere right now. The fact he has been performing for something like 40 years is incredible when you realise he still sounds better than (grown-up) people a third of his age.
The music kicked in and...wow. There's no other word for it. Yep, Glenn sounded fantastic. In fact his bass playing was first class too. Big thing for me though was Joe Bonamassa. Okay, he's had the press eating out of his hand for the past god knows how many years, but this was the first time I've experience him live. I honestly didn't think anyone could play guitar THAT fast or THAT precise until I saw him on stage. The guy is off the scale. Unlike other phenomenal guitarists (Pete Lesperance, John Norum to name a couple) he actually looks like he's trying, but that's because he's a whole league ahead of anyone else. The combination of speed, emotion, and intricate technique is jaw-dropping. The guy even has a good voice. Believe the hype!
The songs went down very well, with Glenn working the crowd like the seasoned pro he is. The drumming was first class. In fact the only downer of the night was Derek Sherinian. Not because he was rubbish. Far from it. From where I was standing (and it might not have been the case everywhere in the room) he was so buried in the mix I could barely hear him. He suffers some of the same fate on the album, but during the gig he was almost silent. Shame, as D.S. is one of the finest keyboardists in rock.
Photo credit Christie Goodwin
BCC were only on for around an hour, but was enough to introduce just how good they are together. The songs work brilliantly live - even better than the album. There is a chemistry there, and with talk of a full tour coming soon, the only way for BCC is up.
Check out the Rock Realms review of the brand new BCC album here.
Label: Mascot Records
Artist's website(s): Black Country Communion | MySpace | Facebook
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