The glorious weather that we’d been having over the last few days may have passed but then again it is Bank Holiday Monday so what do we expect, but at least there is always music to lift the spirits when the rain comes and those at The Sage were in for a real treat when Blues guitarist Eric Gales came to visit.
Blues is often considered more of an old man’s music form, typified by a craggy octogenarian sitting in a rocking chair on their porch bemoaning their luck with life but nothing could be further from the truth as the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Aaron Keylock have breathed new life into the music in recent years.
Arguably one of the most impressive of the new generation of Blues artists is Eric Gales.Signed to a major label at 16 years old and going on to record numerous albums over a 26 year recording career not to mention impressive appearances at Woodstock with Carlos Santana and playing alongside former Jimi Hendrix band members Mitch Mitchel and Billy Cox on the Experience Hendrix tour. His pedigree is incomparable, his reputation at an all-time high and feted by his contemporaries as one of the best in the business this was his first UK tour and a show not to be missed.
His latest album Middle of the Road typifies his versatility as Gales breaks free from the tight constraints Blues often imposes on a musician. Before the show Gales said he listened to each and every type of music and his mind was closed to nothing enabling him to draw on influences where others feared to tread.This gives Gales a unique take on the Blues mixing Soul, Hard Rock, Jazz, Pop and a liberal dose of Funk too making an intoxicating blend that stirs the soul.
Gales is not only blessed with an incredible ability on the guitar where he is able to wring every last drop of emotion from his instrument but he also has a sultry, soulful voice too that brings the likes of Change In Me shimmering to life.
At times he plays as if there’s two guitar parts with his choppy rhythmical work counterpunching his fluid solos that leaves even the guitar geeks in the front row studying his every move perplexed. During Boogie Man he really let fly and completely lost himself in another world to the extent that he ended up lying prostrate on the floor as he made his guitar scream and soar in an incredible burst of unbridled emotion.
Mixing his own original material including Swamp with a few well selected covers with a radical instrumental reworking of Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear The Reaper sounding particularly effective gave a well-balanced set that flowed across a range of tempos and emotions that gave Gales ample chance to demonstrate his craft. His covers medley of Voodoo Chile/Kashmir/Back In Black was a master class in taking well-worn originals, throwing them into the blender to create a completely new and original piece of art. Absolutely stunning.
His warm, genuine rapport with the crowd created a really intimate feel to the evening and true to his word Gales was out in the foyer for a meet and greet before the first person had left the hall.
Judging by the enthusiasm of the crowd and the reaction to his first tour of the UK, you get the feeling that Gales may well be returning to these shores sooner rather than later.
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