By David O’Neill
I saw Samantha Fish towards the end of 2022 in Cardiff and boy did she impress me then. A phenomenal guitarist and songwriter. So I knew I’d be taking a trip across the border for another earful of sublime blues guitar mastery when this tour was announced. The only differences were the addition of Jesse Dayton from Austin Texas to promote the ‘Deathwish Blues’ album release and The Commoners a southern blues infused quartet from Ontario.
A quick trip to my favourite streaming service to give me a feel for the blues feast platter that was going to be on offer certainly stimulated my appetite for the evening. A little research also gave me an idea of the pedigree of Mr Dayton. For those who may be unfamiliar with him he has been praised by none other than the late Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings in the past, so he is no slouch either.
Anyhow, it was obvious from the crowd in the queue that the only pills likely to be found in a search would be blood pressure and cholesterol ones, so there wasn’t going to be any signs of a moshpit either! There would have been a few hip replacements required if that had happened!
SWX has recovered from an arson attempt and is a decent sized venue (one of many in Bristol) with a very good sound and lighting system, but the only downside is that as a photographer, even with this, the stage was predominantly backlit with large unlit areas on stage left and right where the lead guitarist and keyboard player of The Commoners were (and also the same for the bass player and keyboard player with Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton). It also has a tendency to leave the drummers in the dark too!
Anyway, at bang on 8.00 The Commoners took to the stage. While the band is listed as a four piece on some sites tonight it consisted of Chris Medhurst (on vocals and guitar), Ben Spiller (bass), Ross Hayes Citrullo (lead guitar), Adam Cannon (drums) and Miles Evans Branagh (keyboards).
Kicking off with ‘More Than Mistakes’, a serious southern groover with all members of the band joining with the opening before Medhurst joins in with “I can’t tell you what you want to hear, I wont lie to you to ease your fears” and the hookline of the track. With Cannon driving the drums and Citrullo taking the lead through a seriously laid back guitar riff at the breakdown this was an aperitif of top notch order. Picking it right up with a ripping guitar opener Shake you up kept the upbeat going. Ripping the Les Paul up Citrullo kicks a real southern feel to the new track Who are you? Ably supported with the southern feel from the keys of Branagh. Without missing a beat Medhurst thanks Planet Rock for picking up the title track of their album ‘Devil Teasin’ Me, which really does take you back to the heady days of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but it has a Black Stone Cherry feel to it too so its no wonder I like the song.
With new music on the horizon it would be remiss of the band not to give the appreciative audience to another new one albeit a bit slower and more sentimental’Restless’ carried the crowd on waves of emotional appreciation and anticipation of what is to come in the future, another tour soon perhaps? How do you follow that? Well with another turn for Branagh to wind his fingers across the keys in a Jon Lord-esque opener to ‘The Way I Am’. Finishing off the set with the two singles from the album, with ‘Fill My Cup’ and ‘Find A Better Way’.
The future looks bright for blues rock on this evidence, and the next album launch will have to be another gig I’m going to have to add to my list at some point, and I think these would make a good addition to a certain local mountain top festival next year too!
Next came the main course, rattling in to the first track ‘Kick Out The Jams’ by 60’s proto punk outfit MC5 was a bit of a curveball, a bit like chilli in chocolate – you think not sure about that but it so worked (and chilli and chocolate does). Both Fish and Dayton ripped up and down the fretboard lightening quick to accompany the track.
The title track of the tour was next up with the distorted guitar and vocals of Fish taking the lead ably supported by Dayton it is so catchy that everyone’s head was nodding in time with the rhythm of the track before she really ripped up the solo, tore up the scoresheet and stomped all over it. Fabulous.
Next up was one of the many covers scattered liberally throughout the set like salt on fries, the cover of Junior Parker’s ‘Feels So Good’ from their ‘Stardust’ sessions just showed the blues roots of both musicians led by Dayton vocally . It was such a deep southern fried track it had to be rolled in 11 spices. After that spicy serving the audience needed the cool dip in mayonnaise that was ‘Hello Stranger’ with Samantha’s vocal range being superbly displayed and underpinned by Dayton’s ice cool rhythm guitar riffage and her occasional harmonic guitar riffs adding spice to it. AND BREATHE.
Wait, even more 12 bar blues in ‘Brand New Cadillac’, the first real “duet” on vocals and guitar with the ripping SG solos that Fish is known for being bluesed right up with Dayton on his custom King hollow body adding a completely different dimension to the flavour of the offering.
‘Settle For Less’ is a true Fish course, giving her frequently used distorted microphony and the harsh guitar work on her Gibson that she is well known for. However, it had a depth of sound that came from the guitar work of Dayton. Without breaking for a drink to wash down the previous offerings the even more Fish-like track ‘Bulletproof’ and her cigar box guitar made an appearance along with the continued underpinning of Dayton on his King at the breakdown riff.
This was the continued menu of the evening, course after varied course of expertly delivered tapas with a wide variety of herbs, spices and sweetness. However, by the time they arrived at the sweetest moment the delivery of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ really did send the audience in a giddy appreciation of the talent that was on offer, and by god did she weave a spell on the audience ably supported by her master guitar wizard Dayton they wove a spell of blues mastery that would be difficult to break.
Ninety-plus minutes of it, the best blues menu Ive tasted in a very long time.