What A Sell Out
Andy Fawthrop
Seems ages since we were last turning up at the Con Club for Long Street Blues, but last night the new Autumn/ Winter season began, and there we all were again. And what a way to start, with a cracking US band and a ticket sell-out….
The place was, therefore, obviously packed out. Whilst it might suit the music – hot & sweaty –I think it’s time that the Con Club looked into installing some air-con. Just like the The Homing’s gig back in June, as part of the Devizes Arts Festival, the room was really stifling and airless.
Nevertheless we had some great entertainment to distract the huge crowd. First up were Koerie & Andy, a duo new to me, introduced by host Ian Hopkins as recently discovered busking. As might be expected with such a heritage, they were a little raw and rough around the edges, but very effective and entertaining for all that. Using guitar, vocals and harmonica, they delivered a string of covers, including “Wild Thing” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” The crowd gave them a good listen and a good welcome, and hopefully we’ll see them again.
But that was as nothing to the roar that went up went Skinny Molly finally hit the stage to start their 75-minute one-set performance.
This band, hailing mostly from Tennessee, is a major force on the US Southern Rock scene. They were formed by guitarist/vocalist Mike Estes (formerly of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot), original Molly Hatchet guitarist Dave Hlubek (who has since left the band) and drummer Kurt Pietro (who also played drums for Blackfoot). By 2008, the line-up was solidified with the addition of Blackfoot guitarist/vocalist Jay Johnson and Grand Ole Opry stalwart bassist Luke Bradshaw. And this was the line-up featured last night.
Skinny Molly’s mantra is apparently “Never let one fan leave a show disappointed” and they set about trying to fulfil this promise right from the outset, with a string of rock-infused blues and country numbers. There was newer SM material, mixed in with some older Skynard classics, and some covers. Free’s “Wishing Well” was perhaps a surprise, less so Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road”, but the biggest cheer of the night of course came about an hour in when they launched in to probably their biggest hit “Sweet Home Alabama”. But there was nothing one-dimensional about their material – we had a good old Southern gumbo of different ingredients, including southern rock, old country, blues, hard rock, and general Americana.
They built up the mood and the atmosphere, and there were soon plenty of folks rocking along and dancing. They kept the inter-song chat to a minimum, instead focusing of packing in as much music as possible, culminating in a standing ovation and well-deserved encore. I don’t think anyone went home disappointed, so I guess they did exactly what they said on the tin.
Future Long Street Blues Club gigs:
Saturday 8th October 202- Eddie Martin’s Big Blues Band
Friday 14th October 2022 Black Sabbitch (Corn Exchange, Devizes)
Saturday 5th November 2022 Robbie McIntosh Band
Friday 11th November 2022 Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse (Corn Exchange, Devizes)
Saturday 19th November 2022 Hardwicke Circus and The Alex Voysey Trio
Friday 23rd December 2022 Gee Baby I Love You
- Swan Dies in Road Accident at The Crammer
A swan from the Crammer hit on the road between Morrison’s roundabout and the traffic lights this morning, has died…. In territorial disputes, the wildfowl … Continue reading “Swan Dies in Road Accident at The Crammer” - If Old Photos of Devizes Were Posted on Social Media Today…..
Looking at old photos of Devizes can be a pleasurable way to spend a Sunday morning, such a beautiful and historic market town we live … Continue reading “If Old Photos of Devizes Were Posted on Social Media Today…..” - The Great Pothole Debacle; Are Wiltshire Councillors Teleported into County Hall?!
As a younger chap, for it once was so, I’d procrastinate with the washing-up, putting it off until the point I’d run out of cutlery … Continue reading “The Great Pothole Debacle; Are Wiltshire Councillors Teleported into County Hall?!” - Song of the Week: Sienna Wileman
Okay, I admit it, our Song of the Day feature was too optimistic, and failing every day to post a tune meant it fell by … Continue reading “Song of the Week: Sienna Wileman” - REVIEW – Comedy Night @ The Piggy Bank, Calne – Tuesday 31st January 2023
What’s Funny About Tuesday Night? Andy Fawthrop You know how we’ve previously moaned on and on (and on) on these pages before about the lack … Continue reading “REVIEW – Comedy Night @ The Piggy Bank, Calne – Tuesday 31st January 2023” - On The Wayside with Viduals
Akin to Ghostbuster’s nemesis Slimer when he appears over the hotdog stand, I was squatting a spacious windowsill at Wiltshire Music Centre with an Evie’s … Continue reading “On The Wayside with Viduals” - Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 1st – 7th February 2023
Thank the heavens we can kick January out of the door! It’s been a warmer week though, hasn’t it? Still wouldn’t reach for the Hawaiian … Continue reading “Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 1st – 7th February 2023” - Marlborough’s Lamb Landlord Farewell Gig Will Be Pants!
Marlborough News reported “in the Seventies, Marlborough boasted well over twenty pubs. Now there are just six,” in an article about the retirement of longstanding … Continue reading “Marlborough’s Lamb Landlord Farewell Gig Will Be Pants!” - Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 25th-31th January 2023
Oh, hey there, it’s me, here to tell you what we’ve found to do in Wiltshire this week, leading us nicely until the end of … Continue reading “Weekly Roundup of Events in Wiltshire: 25th-31th January 2023” - Beating January Blues, Bradford-on-Avon Roots Style
If the last thing you’d expect as the final sound you hear before leaving a festival carpark is of scraping frost off windscreens, notion of … Continue reading “Beating January Blues, Bradford-on-Avon Roots Style”
devizine.com 
One thought on “REVIEW – Skinny Molly @ LSBC, Devizes – Saturday 20th August 2022”