When? Wed 30/04/2008
Where? P.C. St.-Godelieve Toon mij een kaart
On the 23rd edition of the Night of the Blues the local hero Cerys opened. On the festival website she was announced as a solo artist, but she brought a bassplayer and a second guitar player/drummer along. This sympathetic lady was blessed with a beautiful voice, but htis had little to do with blues. It was still early, but those present enjoyed her 20 minutes of folk music.
Next up were the Turnhout based The Baboons. This young band (early 20's) plays roots music in the widest sence. They get their inspiration from blues, rhythm & blues, western swing, early rock 'n' roll, surfrock and rockabilly. Saxophone player Guy Claessens recently left the band. Without the sax The Baboons sounded much firmer. They played covers like 'You Can't Judge A Book', 'Linda Lu' and '30 Days' and some strong original songs from their, in February, recently released debut-album. The many short songs added up to a tight set.
After that Bluescaravan took the stage. This time the caravan consisted of the 3 ladies Dani Wilde, Deborah Coleman and Shakura S'Aida. The concept of Bluescaravan has been the same for a few years. Label Ruf's artists start with a song all together and after that every artist plays 4 songs. The backing band stays the same all night and during the finale the 3 starts come back on and play together. First up was 20 year-old Dani Wilde. From her debut album 'Heal My Blues' she played 'Bring Your Loving Home', 'Little By Little' and 'I'm Going Down'. She gave the audience goose bumps with slow blues 'I Love You More Than I Hate Myself'. She played the strongest songs from her album, but her voice appaered to be a little impure. Her guitar playing was limited in comparison to the other ladies. When the in our country unknown Shakura S'Aida appeared on stage, something amazing seemed to happen. This gorgeous lady in her red dress immediately captured the entire hall. What a great stage presence! She played her female charms, but with her soulful voice mainly soothed the audience. She left the stage for Deborah Coleman under loud applause. Coleman was bother by her micro and monitor during the whole set. Incomprehensible that such an issue can continue for an entire set, because her soulful voice was lost in the mix and this had a negative effect on the gig quality. A lost opportunity for this current top guitar player that adds a big dose of rock and funk in her blues repertoire. In the backup band guitar player Laura Chavez and her good solo's deserved a compliment.
Next were the Californians of The Mofo Party Band. The axis of the group are the Clifton brothers. They average around 150 shows a years and have done this for over 20 years. Their mix of Chicago blues and West Coast blues turns every gig into a party. Same for this show which contained humor and many show elements. But don't be fooled by this, this gang plays her music on a very accomplished level. John Clifton is an inventive harmonica player and Bill Clifton's guitar solo's put their mark on the group sound.
It was already after one thrirty when Aynsley Lister could round off the festival. This young British talent is always good for a set of heavy rock blues. Compared to the previous shows I visited he showed a huge evolution. His music is more accessible. More attention went in to the vocal melodies. Songs from the new album 'Upside Down' made up the bulk of the set. We didn't see the end of the show, with the busy festivals days at Ospel (Moulin Blues) coming up. Despite the lack of real crowd magnets, the line-up was made up of the better contemporary blues acts. A lot of people left the evening very satisfied, which will certainly please the organisers.
Translation by: Jean-Paul Harreman
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