Here we are at one of my favourite Edinburgh venues to catch a young lady I’ve been trying to see for a while, but other gigs have kept getting in the way. Tonight, I finally get to see Ally Venable, but first up we have Glasgow-based Blue Milk.
The boys are strongly influenced by Delta blues and early blues-rock, which is evident in songs like “Coal in the Fire” with its slide guitar opening, thumping drums from Taylor, and solid bass lines from Ike. And let’s not forget Leo on harmonica; boy, he can wail. Jonny has a real, soulful old-school voice and can really make that guitar talk. The band suffers from some “Night Sweats”, a soft-paced blues song with tasty guitar licks, soft vocals, and some strong bass lines from Ike. For me, the star of the show tonight is definitely Leo; I love a bit of harmonica in a song.
We get a few more from the boys, with the likes of the smooth-feeling “Come Back Around”, featuring great backing vocal harmonies, and “Devil’s Calling” with its haunting vocals, slide guitar, and a ghostly wail from the harmonica, all kept ticking along by just a hint of drums and bass. I really enjoyed the boys’ set tonight; it was proper old-school blues from a young bunch from Glasgow. If you like your older style blues with quality slide guitar and perfect harmonica playing, then this is the band for you. Go catch them live and have a chilled time enjoying some tasty music played very well indeed.
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The main event now, as the Ally Venable Band strolls on stage with Isaac Pulido on drums, EJ Bedford on bass, and of course, Ally Venable on guitar and vocals. She walks up to the front of the stage to show off her mini tartan skirt in a nod to playing here in Scotland. The band launches into the instrumental intro of “Penitentiary Philosophy”, and straight away she is setting the bar high for tonight as she makes that guitar wail, with Isaac and EJ bringing the rhythm. What a start, as they go straight into the first of four from the fabulous new album Money & Power, “Brown Liquor”, with its hard-hitting riffs and killer vocals.
Next is “Unbreakable”, another new song featuring some sublime solo playing from Ally. She has such a powerful voice, hitting those high notes along with the softer tones in this song. We have a couple of covers tonight, starting with James Taylor’s “Steamroller”, which the band lays waste to with some tasty guitar work from Ally and the boys cruising along behind with a rhythm tour de force. She also lets loose on her version of the Hendrix classic “Fire”, an interesting and enjoyable take.
A couple more from the new album follow, with the groove-laden “Stopper Back Papa” and the bouncy “Feel That Sting”, before she gives a heartfelt instrumental, “Tribute to SRV”. This was a quality piece of smooth, intense guitar playing, with the boys just keeping it ticking along in the background. It was a tune that let Ally stretch a bit, as she plays like someone twice her age – but then again, she has been playing for a long time, releasing her debut EP at the age of 14 in 2013. The groove keeps going with the likes of “Texas Louisiana”, which has that proper blues swagger, along with the slower “Broken & Blue”, which she collaborated on with Joe Bonamassa for the Real Gone album.
Tonight was a quality show and well worth the wait to see her play live. The band was really tight, and Ally’s voice was just superb, along with her amazing guitar playing. I really enjoyed tonight, as did the packed-out venue. If you have a love of the blues and good guitar playing, get out and catch her live if you can, as you will not be disappointed.
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Pics by Gary Cooper Photography
