An energetic double bill
The air inside La Belle Angele on Friday night was already thick from the smoke machine before anyone comes near the stage. Blue lights from the back of the stage setting the scene for the double bill of Redfish Blues and Jensen Interceptors.
First on stage were Redfish Blues, led by Christian Shah. Jumping straight in with a full throttle number, bluesy, brash and above all, loud – the audience were enthusiastic from the start. An interesting set-list, with many extended solos – I counted 8 songs over the course of an hour with some original work as well as covers. A strong 80s prog influence could be heard throughout, with some rockier edges rather than pure blues.
The patter between songs was rather repetitive – I think the album was mentioned four times, and whilst it’s understandable that live artists are keen to drive sales, it felt overworked. A lazy link dedicating “Soho Rising” to the women in the audience, and then referencing prostitutes raised a grimace. (Are we still making these references in 2024? Really?)
“Money don’t make it right” was one of the highlights of the set – a bit slower than others, but full of emotion, and sterling work from the drums (Ian Sargison) and bass players (Rod MacKay). “Together is Better” written in collaboration with the Cinelli Brothers is also one to listen for.
Perhaps not a set for the purists, but the sound levels may have been a factor here too – I thought the mix between keys and guitar was on the high side, and would have benefited from being down a notch, but this didn’t seem to affect the audience enjoyment as the set concluded.
After a short break, Edinburgh’s own Jensen Interceptors took to the stage. Gary Martin’s extraordinary harmonica work establishing the foundations for a more traditional blues set. Whilst this was also a set comprising covers as well as original tracks, this felt more balanced and fresher than the opening act. A cover of James Cotton’s “Love me or Leave me” was among the favourites here – with a characteristically ebullient key solo from Richard O’Donnell, followed by a guitar solo from John Bruce.
This progression from keys to guitar was a repeated motif through the set and could be seen as formulaic in other hands, but here it works, and served to drive anticipation throughout the songs. The bass of Rod Kennard, and drums of Jim Walker were relentless throughout, providing the perfect backdrop to the three leads.
The energy and performance levels stayed high throughout, in a set that would have kept their existing fans happy as well as gaining new ones. Their new songs such as the swingy “Luella” will be worth looking out for too.
The sound levels weren’t quite as jarring as with the preceding act, but having the mix slightly lower would have been a more pleasant listening experience, as my ears were definitely ringing as I left, and lyrics (and song titles) were lost at times.
Overall, this was an engaging and energetic double-bill, with something for the more traditional blues fans as well as those looking for a bit of a twist.
Redfish Blues can be found on Facebook
Jensen Interceptors can be found on Facebook