From Lake Geneva to the River Clyde
Ben Poole – The Ferry, Glasgow, 3rd October 2023
Ben Poole – The Ferry, Glasgow, 3rd October 2023
Whether an intimate, small crowd gig or playing to thousands at a blues festival, Ben Poole never sells himself or his audience short.
He’s also a player who truly lives live – second and third studio albums Time Has Come (2016) and Anytime You Need Me (2018) were strong and seriously impressive, respectively, but a follow-on of not one but three live releases – the powerful Trio 19, Acoustic Duo featuring Guy Smeets, and recent album Live in Montreux, tell a stagecraft story.
For the Montreux show, performed back in April 2022, Ben Poole was joined by his groove-driven go-to bassist Steve Amadeo, noted drummer Chris Hardwick and, as an additional treat on the night, keys player Matthew Gest.
Eighteen months on, as part of a lengthy European and UK touring trek, Poole, along with Amadeo and drummer Ollie Dixon, played Glasgow’s floating venue The Ferry, which sits on the River Clyde.
Offering meal & show tickets for the ever-popular tribute band nights (love or loathe them, that’s what’s keeping many club sized venues like The Ferry afloat – pun very much intended), the venue is also an equally popular stop for many a touring act.
On a windy and drizzly Tuesday night Ben Poole warmed the mostly seated, up close and personal audience (giving the show a nice, intimate atmosphere) with a great set, proof of which came by the number of folks who held back after the gig to buy merch, chat and get a photo or two.
Nor was it all about the talents of Mr Poole – the show also confirmed, for those that hadn’t seen this particular trio in action, that Messrs Amadeo & Dixon are a seriously solid and in-sync rhythm section.
He’s also a player who truly lives live – second and third studio albums Time Has Come (2016) and Anytime You Need Me (2018) were strong and seriously impressive, respectively, but a follow-on of not one but three live releases – the powerful Trio 19, Acoustic Duo featuring Guy Smeets, and recent album Live in Montreux, tell a stagecraft story.
For the Montreux show, performed back in April 2022, Ben Poole was joined by his groove-driven go-to bassist Steve Amadeo, noted drummer Chris Hardwick and, as an additional treat on the night, keys player Matthew Gest.
Eighteen months on, as part of a lengthy European and UK touring trek, Poole, along with Amadeo and drummer Ollie Dixon, played Glasgow’s floating venue The Ferry, which sits on the River Clyde.
Offering meal & show tickets for the ever-popular tribute band nights (love or loathe them, that’s what’s keeping many club sized venues like The Ferry afloat – pun very much intended), the venue is also an equally popular stop for many a touring act.
On a windy and drizzly Tuesday night Ben Poole warmed the mostly seated, up close and personal audience (giving the show a nice, intimate atmosphere) with a great set, proof of which came by the number of folks who held back after the gig to buy merch, chat and get a photo or two.
Nor was it all about the talents of Mr Poole – the show also confirmed, for those that hadn’t seen this particular trio in action, that Messrs Amadeo & Dixon are a seriously solid and in-sync rhythm section.
The latters' talents were highlighted early, during opener 'Take It No More,' a thick-riffed and funkily framed mid-tempo that is as beefy as it is blues soulful.
As Ben Poole kicked into his solo and went off on one (Poole can flex his six-string muscles as well as any, mixing wicked licks and tasteful refrains with delicate, crying notes) Ollie Dixon locked down the beat while Steve Amadeo’s run of melodic lines sat atop, interweaving, but never clashing with, Poole’s guitar histrionics.
'Win You Over' upped the blues tempo with its infectious shuffle groove before a couple of covers, both from Anytime You Need Me, took centre stage.
Jude Cole’s 'Start the Car,' which carries an AOR meets rhythm and blues sheen, is a great fit for Ben Poole but Don Henley’s 'Dirty Laundry' was a true highlight, as was Poole’s quick thinking finger pointing at 'tog Kevin Kerr during "the boys in the newsroom…" line.
Nice, cheeky touch from Poole and a great capture from a top-notch gig photographer.
'Don’t Cry For Me,' another lifted from the Anytime album, allowed Ben Poole to show his slow soul-blues prowess; extended to almost twice its studio length, it showcased Poole at his most vocally intimate coupled with deft, six-string phrasing and a gorgeous solo (kudos here also for Amadeo & Dixon’s subtle rhythmic groove and sway).
Also carrying a heady amount of groove was the bass pumping, soul-blues take of Jamie Marshall’s 'The Question Why,' which Ben Poole recorded for Time Has Come.
As Ben Poole kicked into his solo and went off on one (Poole can flex his six-string muscles as well as any, mixing wicked licks and tasteful refrains with delicate, crying notes) Ollie Dixon locked down the beat while Steve Amadeo’s run of melodic lines sat atop, interweaving, but never clashing with, Poole’s guitar histrionics.
'Win You Over' upped the blues tempo with its infectious shuffle groove before a couple of covers, both from Anytime You Need Me, took centre stage.
Jude Cole’s 'Start the Car,' which carries an AOR meets rhythm and blues sheen, is a great fit for Ben Poole but Don Henley’s 'Dirty Laundry' was a true highlight, as was Poole’s quick thinking finger pointing at 'tog Kevin Kerr during "the boys in the newsroom…" line.
Nice, cheeky touch from Poole and a great capture from a top-notch gig photographer.
'Don’t Cry For Me,' another lifted from the Anytime album, allowed Ben Poole to show his slow soul-blues prowess; extended to almost twice its studio length, it showcased Poole at his most vocally intimate coupled with deft, six-string phrasing and a gorgeous solo (kudos here also for Amadeo & Dixon’s subtle rhythmic groove and sway).
Also carrying a heady amount of groove was the bass pumping, soul-blues take of Jamie Marshall’s 'The Question Why,' which Ben Poole recorded for Time Has Come.
By way of weightier contrast 'Time Might Never Come,' Ben Poole’s tour-de-force rock blues from Time Has Come, was an utterly compelling near fourteen minutes, from blues brooding opening and pin-drop plaintiveness to a slow build solo Gary Moore would have been proud of.
Another winner was Ben Poole’s now trademark take on the blues standard 'Have You ever Loved a Woman,' as made famous by Freddie King.
Opening A cappella and off-mic (and guitar off-amp), Ben Poole held the attention of a respectfully quiet audience before building the song slowly but assuredly and proving, should there yet be any doubt, Ben Poole can play the blues.
A surprise cover then followed in the classic blues-rock shape of Free’s 'Fire And Water,' which Ben Poole, having not played the song in a good number of years, recently reinstalled in the set.
With an extended intro and Poole’s husky vocal, it wasn’t ever going to be – nor intended to be – an exact copy of the Free classic (best of luck to any band trying to pull a 'faithful to the original' off) but it was another audience winner, as was Poole’s solo.
The purist or Koss aficionado may gripe that said solo didn’t sound anything like Paul Kossoff, and they’d be right – it sounded like Ben Poole.
Another winner was Ben Poole’s now trademark take on the blues standard 'Have You ever Loved a Woman,' as made famous by Freddie King.
Opening A cappella and off-mic (and guitar off-amp), Ben Poole held the attention of a respectfully quiet audience before building the song slowly but assuredly and proving, should there yet be any doubt, Ben Poole can play the blues.
A surprise cover then followed in the classic blues-rock shape of Free’s 'Fire And Water,' which Ben Poole, having not played the song in a good number of years, recently reinstalled in the set.
With an extended intro and Poole’s husky vocal, it wasn’t ever going to be – nor intended to be – an exact copy of the Free classic (best of luck to any band trying to pull a 'faithful to the original' off) but it was another audience winner, as was Poole’s solo.
The purist or Koss aficionado may gripe that said solo didn’t sound anything like Paul Kossoff, and they’d be right – it sounded like Ben Poole.
The set closed out with funky rocker 'Anytime You Need Me,' extended to feature a jazzy bass solo and a raucous, almost Hendrix-esque power trio section.
The band returned to the stage to encore with blues standard 'Too Tired,' which culminated in an extended, loose and fun six-string call and four-string answer.
On a rainy, mid-week night in Glasgow, Ben Poole and his band put on the type of display that reinforces the view that he should be doing bigger business in the UK, at least on par with his well recieved impact on the European circuit and the blues festivals (albeit there's no denying the British blues/ rock club scene is, generally speaking, stuggling at the moment).
And if King King of British blues rock Alan Nimmo is in attendance to enjoy the show and support his musical buddy, you know you’ve come to the right place – whether that be the famous resort on Lake Geneva or Glasgow’s "gig on the river."
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Click here to purchase Live in Montreux
Photo Credits: Kevin Kerr 1010 Photography
www.kk1010photography.com/
The band returned to the stage to encore with blues standard 'Too Tired,' which culminated in an extended, loose and fun six-string call and four-string answer.
On a rainy, mid-week night in Glasgow, Ben Poole and his band put on the type of display that reinforces the view that he should be doing bigger business in the UK, at least on par with his well recieved impact on the European circuit and the blues festivals (albeit there's no denying the British blues/ rock club scene is, generally speaking, stuggling at the moment).
And if King King of British blues rock Alan Nimmo is in attendance to enjoy the show and support his musical buddy, you know you’ve come to the right place – whether that be the famous resort on Lake Geneva or Glasgow’s "gig on the river."
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Click here to purchase Live in Montreux
Photo Credits: Kevin Kerr 1010 Photography
www.kk1010photography.com/
