REVIEW – Ian Parker Band @ Long Street Blues Club, Con Club, Devizes – Saturday 9th September 2023

In The Heat Of The Night

Andy Fawthrop

It must be that time of the year. Summer is going out in a blaze of heated glory, and Autumn is about to come calling. We’ve already had the last Bank Holiday of the year and, apart from the ankle-biters being back at school, last night was also time for the annual singalong frenzy of The Last Night of The Proms. After this you know it’s all downhill to the clocks going back, Halloween, Bonfire Night, and The Big C. But no point getting miserable and all teary-eyed just yet. Before we get to the fake-Dickensian marketing exercise that forces the first mince-pies to hit the supermarket shelves, we’ve got plenty to look forward to in D-Town’s music scene.

And last night was just typical with competing gigs at The Cavalier, The Corn Exchange, and The Southgate to choose from. Or there was always Twilight Cinema in Hillworth Park. But I couldn’t find my Ray-Bans, so I decided that the best way to start things off was at the Con Club, with the new Autumn/ Winter season of concerts lined up by Ian Hopkins and his team at Long Street Blues Club. First guest of the new season was the Ian Parker Band.

It was hot and sweaty in there, but that just suited the music. A goodly crowd had ignored the various other blandishments on offer, including England’s opening game in the rugby World Cup, and turned out to welcome two great guests back to the club.

First up was support from local boy Joe Hicks. He’ll be touring with his band in November and December in the UK & Germany, but for tonight it was just the man, his guitar, and a few pedals. Last time I saw Joe was here in the club just before Covid and I remember enjoying his performance. Since then, he and his songs have matured. Introducing self-penned songs from his debut album of last year “The Best I Could Do At The Time”, Joe produced an engaging and accomplished performance. The songs, delivered with understated guitar, and his tell-tale falsetto voice, were mesmerizingly good. The inter-song chat, self-deprecating humour and snatches of audience participation easily won people over. Joe is well above yer average troubadour, and definitely worth checking out.

Then we were onto two helpings of the four-piece Ian Parker band. Ian is a 20-year blues band veteran and has played as a session musician with much of UK’s blues royalty. His sets contained mostly self-penned material, leavened with just the right amount of covers. Leading from the front on guitar and vocals, we launched straight into Muddy Waters’ Hoochie Coochie Man, then settled down into a bluesy groove. Again, there was great inter-song chat, the clear connection with the club, and with the enthusiastic audience.

The guitar work was clean, sparkling and inventive, with the band behind him providing just the right platform for his inspired and meandering solos. We were in blues territory, but there was plenty of wandering off into something more inventive and reflective. There were nods to BB King (Help The Poor), Willie Dixon (Weak Brain, Narrow Mind) and a really stunning reworking of Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower. Cue huge applause, a great finish, and a well-deserved encore.

So, the new season is up and running, with some great talent lined up to play (see the club’s website). Tickets available online, at Devizes Books and at all the usual outlets. Do yourself a favour and get along to some of these gigs.