GLENN HUGHES
The Brook, Southampton, UK - 13th October 2010
Line-up: Glenn Hughes + Scott McKeon
Review by Jon Wilde
Back to one of my favourite venues; The Brook in Southampton. It's a lovely intimate place - still with capacity for a few hundred people - and boasts loads of parking, great acoustics and a couple of well stocked bars.
It's only a few weeks since I saw Glenn Hughes. Last time was at the Black Country Communion launch gig (see the review here). This time however it would be him and his super talented group of session musicians - Søren Andersen on guitars, Anders Olinder on keyboards, and Pontus Engborg on drums - playing tracks from Glenn's past, incorporating not only his solo career but his work with groups like Trapeze.
Before the main event, however, there was the small matter of the support act. Support acts come in two flavours: the ones you've heard of, and the ones you haven't...obviously. The ones you are already aware of, well, you kind of know what you are going to get. The ones you haven't heard of...I more often than not find them a disappointment. However, this time I was (very) pleasantly surprised.
His name was Scott McKeon, and researching him on the net it seems he's a man on the up. He's a blues guitarist with real panache and a great voice. In fact, vocally, he's not too far different from the mighty Glenn Hughes - perhaps with a more chilled approach. Scott's guitar work was genuinely brilliant, and the back-up musicians, especially his awesome drummer were first rate. Scott needs some more anthemic songs to really make it huge, but the raw talent is definitely there. Bear in mind the guy is only in his early 20s, and it's plain to see there is potential here for something remarkable developing. Definitely the best unknown-to-me support act I've ever had the pleasure of seeing.
...and Glenn?
Yeah, he was sensational. Ah, that voice! As mentioned in the Black Country Communion review, he sounds better than most people half, even a third of his age. He genuinely is mesmerising The way he flits between full-on, high-end disco-esque screaming, and soft emotion-fuelled crooning is spellbinding. Add in the fact his bass work would be even exemplary for someone who didn't have to sing at the same time, he still has the stage presence and energy of a teeny bopper, and he has a wonderful no-bullsh*t rapport with crowd...it's easy to see why the guy is considered a god in many quarters.
Downsides? The part in the middle of the set where the musicians got to perform little solo sections wasn't even vaguely interesting, and it's a shame Glenn didn't perform any of the music from the sublime Voodoo Hill project he was involved in - for me his finest music to date. Apart from that, this was a night of monstrous positives.
If you get the chance to see this guy playing live take it. He may be a tad self-indulgent in places, but that's more than outweighed by the genius of his voice and his masterful stagecraft. The voice of rock? No. The voice of music.
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