It’s not often I’ll be at a blues gig these days but when Joanne Shaw Taylor comes to town, you can guarantee I’ll be there. She’s been incredibly productive the past few years with a string of albums and with this year’s Black and Gold continues to show her guitar prowess, never releasing a bad album. Tonight’s show at the Wulfrun Hall serves as her hometown show, given she’s originally from just down the road in Wednesbury.
Saturday night on pay weekend isn’t deterring the people from coming in early to catch Ferris & Sylvester. The husband-and-wife duo run through a half dozen cuts from their back catalogue, explaining the backstories. The guitar on opening song “Dark Side” is an homage to “Crossroads” and if you’re going to pay homage to a blues song, why not to one of the most famous of them all. However, they quickly reveal their folk nature with “Better in Yellow”, appropriately bright and dreamy. Given there’s only guitar, bass and a kick drum, it’s much more stripped back than the recorded version and it takes on a more singer-songwriter feel whilst also showing a new sense of vulnerability to it. “Flying Visit” is a love song inspired by children verbalising their emotions more freely than adults (something adults should learn to do) and the harmonised vocals between the pair showcase their chemistry. “Lucky Night” is about their son who was born in Nashville and unsurprisingly, there’s big country groove in it before the finale of “London’s Blues”. Likewise, it’s aptly full of swinging bluesy bluster, featuring sludgy guitar, the single kick drum providing a subtle but effective upbeat rhythm and allows them to finish on a high. It’s a bit of a left-field opener but given all their different flavours and the fact they’re so bloody good at what they do, it works.
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As “Gimme Shelter” signals the arrival of tonight’s headliner. The band take their places and they’re quickly followed out by the guitarist and singer whose name is on the backdrop and immediately they launch into Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around”. It may have been covered numerous times, but Joanne Shaw Taylor simply does it better than most, if not all. It’s this opening salvo which becomes an instant reminder of why she’s the leading person of modern blues. Her impassioned licks combined with her rich yet smoky vocals show that it’s not enough to just play the blues well. You have to feel it, acting as a conduit. And it’s this along with her impressive technical ability which creates such an authentic performance, time after time.
Taylor’s more recent output on her last two or three albums may have a glossy sheen to them as she’s worked in soul, gospel and even hints of pop but in the live environment, it’s stripped out for a more raw sound, revenant to one of the oldest genres of music. Yet regardless of growing and changing on record or translating it to the stage, it’s still true to herself and artistry. When it’s not about playing music, Taylor is her usual personable self, completely self-aware and a heap of dry humour. She introduces herself as liking Harry Potter, being in love with Robert Plant (as is her dad), as well as Kevin Costner and regales us with a story of how she was tricked into making a music video which was starring Costner (spoilers: he wasn’t in it). There’s also jokes about Hank, her dachshund featuring on her merch – presumably the proceeds of which go to paying his hefty vet bill, once the venue gets their cut, obviously.
The focus may be on Taylor but she makes a point to draw attention to everyone on stage with her. The current line-up of people she’s surrounded herself with may be the best incarnation yet. Everyone is ridiculously well-drilled in their parts and there’s a subtle chemistry present. They’re not just playing their parts but manage to sync together as one organism, not serving as a vehicle for Taylor but rather they all work together to serve the song. However, there’s plenty of deviations and extended solos where Taylor is able to step cleanly and effortlessly in and out of and manage to bring the feel of a small club show into a massive theatre to a much bigger enraptured audience.
It’d be a hard feat to create a perfect Joanne Shaw Taylor setlist given the number of albums she has to her name now, especially when you’ve only got just over an hour and a half. That said, she focuses heavily on Black and Gold, Heavy Soul and 2016’s Wild whilst also borrowing a couple of standards which featured on The Blues Album as well as a couple of nods to her earlier works. Whilst there’s some omissions which you’d expect to feature like “Mud Honey” and “Going Home” alongside an impressive catalogue that’s grown over the years, the perfect setlist would be a Bruce Springsteen-style epic evening. Indeed, kudos has to be given to her for focusing on the present with the occasional nod to the past, rather relying on it. And there’s nothing to say she won’t revisit all those old gems some other time. My own personal preference – I prefer her older material, but those albums are still there to enjoy as is the memories of seeing her perform those songs.
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Regardless, it’s a stunning display of musicianship and Taylor remains unrivalled. Covers of “Two Time My Loving” (which doesn’t reflect Taylor’s own views on second-hand love, but she admits it’s a great song), “Summertime” and “Wild is the Wind” slot in perfectly with her originals. They’re played with deference but with a JST spin on them. As the band leave on an epic rendition of “Watch ‘em Burn”, it would be an excellent finale but the encore of “Change of Heart” dials it up a further notch with Taylor bidding farewell and the band playing out the final moments of the night for them to take their own bows, it’s another show of humility. And having watched a masterclass like that, it’s fair to say the next time she’s back, I’ll be there.
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Joanne Shaw Taylor: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube
Ferris & Sylvester: official | facebook | instagram | youtube
