When you can’t make it to Byron Bay for Bluesfest at Easter, the sideshows are the best way to get your blues and roots fix.
Nikki Hill and her band are setting fire to venues around the world; Hill has the reputation of a blues shouter and growler and the new queen of soul.
Indeed, the frontwoman and her three-piece band wasted no time in letting the crowd know that she was in the building. With her leopard print top and oozing charisma and sexuality, she commanded the attention of the room and owned the stage. Soul music driven by the rock and roll guitar of her husband Matt Hill had everyone bobbing and people were drawn closer to the stage.
Hill mixed soul and the sound of Memphis when she delivered ‘Right On The Brink’. When the band rock out on ‘Strapped To The Beat’, the lead singer was dancing along with the groove, catching the eyes of the members and wrapping the crowd around her fingers.
Little Richard is one of her main influences. She asked how many fans of the rocker were in attendance (not much feedback was given) before delivering his uplifting song, ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’. With a tight rhythm section of Ed Strohsahl on bass and Joe Meyer on drums, the quartet could rock like The Rolling Stones on ‘Struttin’ and grab you like The Faces with their cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘Twisitin’ The Night Away’. Toss in some Chuck Berry with the fiery ‘Sweet Lil’ Rock And Roller’ and the band had their talents all on display.
Jimmie Vaughan needs little introduction to fans of guitar-driven blues. Having been on the scene with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, his solo career, and playing with that meteoric younger brother, Stevie, Vaughan has a style that is cool and direct. Less is more when it comes to his guitar licks, and his solos are crisp, sweet, and to the point.
With his Tilt-A Whirl band launching into the bopping blues of ‘Comin’ And Goin’, Vaughan let loose with some sweet guitar virtuosity. Add in the saxophone, trombone, the excellent drumming of longtime skins man George Rains, and this was a sweet ensemble that could cover all styles of the blues.
Vaughan and the band looked dapper in their black suits, but there did seem to be a lack of energy emanating from the stage. Even with Vaughan’s longterm singing cohort Lou Ann Barton adding some sparkle, songs like ‘Shake A Hand’ and ‘Sugar Coated Love’ seemed to plod along during the middle of the set. The sight of Barton and Vaughan chatting while other members soloed was also a tad distracting.
The last third of the set had some serious crowdpleasers, such as the up-tempo sing-along ‘Boom Bapa Boom’, which people got behind. This included the infamous talent of Vaughan playing his most prolonged solo of the evening behind his back and neck. ‘Six Strings Down’, the eulogy to his little brother, was rolled out and played with heart and soul.
The band seemed to gain more momentum heading into the home stretch. ‘White Boots’ and ‘D/FW’, classics from his album with his brother Stevie, were excellent – but due to the outstanding recordings, even the interplay of guitars of Billy Pitman and Vaughan made it hard to match the quality of the sound on the record.
Jimmie Vaughan and his band delivered a lengthy, workmanlike set. Nikki Hill and her outfit harnessed the power of soul, rock, and the blues, and no doubt left Sydney with numerous new fans. Vaughan had his faithful following, but adding more energy and banter to their show would no doubt work wonders.
