Blueflies Reviews

Thanks to Steve Dalgleish for this review of a recent gig in Darlington.
Send me your news, reviews and pics and I'll stick 'em on the web.

May 1st 1999. Filibuster & Firkin, Skinnergate, Darlington .

The Blueflies.

Sometimes you go to a gig and even though you have a good night there’s something missing.......sound balance.....audience reaction....... ambience...... atmosphere (lack of)...... etc. all can affect the outcome of the evening.

Not this one!!!!! this was the night it all came together.!

The venue, a former Temperance Hall, could rarely have witnessed such scenes of unbridled hedonism.

At first it didn't look too promising.....Saturday night in Darlington, bonehead bouncers on the door, groups of boys / girls in and out of each pub on the circuit for a quick one....... everybody on the pull or looking for action, not really expecting to stay one night in the same venue, but !!!!.....from the moment the familiar opening riff of ZZ Top’s “Gimme all your Lovin” was heard you could tell that the Flies were going to benefit from the mixing deck provided by the venue. They sounded superb!! , louder than usual but not at all distorted.

A party of six girls got up to dance, setting the tone for the evening. “There’s Riot Goin’ On” brought more dancers to the floor , but Miles’ mellow version of Hendrix’s “ Angel” sat them down again! “Foxy Lady” brought the first headbangers on to the floor.......idiot dancing is still big in Darlo!

Miles changed from his hybrid Strat copy to his Gibson for the second half starting with a rousing “Alright Now”. Catching the mood Miles concentrated on covers, in fact , there were no Blueflies originals in the set at all! “In the Midnight Hour”, “Mustang Sally”, “Crossroads”, “Jumpin Jack Flash”, “All Day and All of the Night” and an amazing version of “Voodoo Chile” whipped the now heaving pub into a frenzy, the dance floor packed with all sorts of amazing sights, culminating in an invasion of the stage by two girls who swished their waist length hair about like refugees from a werewolf movie whilst their boyfriends accompanied Miles on air guitar!! Fatha’s drums pounded, Gavin’s bass throbbed and Miles’ lead wailed, sobbed and screamed like never before!!! A belting version of Free’s “ the Hunter” was the encore. what a finish!!

As the designated driver on the night I can recall it all in great clarity, not having consumed more than 2 pints of amber nectar during the whole evening.! (I’m sad but sensible).

I’m also old enough to have actually seen Cream in 1967, fresh from conquering the USA......... !’ve seen Hendrix live at the Saville Theatre, ( with the Beatles in the audience ), ....... and Free at venues all over the north east , including the Queens Head Hotel in Bishop Auckland market place! anyone remember Bluesville 69?

The point is that I can’t recall the originals being played any better than the Blueflies do. If Jimi and Kossof were looking down on Darlo on Saturday night I’m sure they would have nodded their heads in approval!

Catch them on a good night and you won’t see a better, more hard working three piece than Miles , Gavin Paradiso, ( still interrupting his residency at the Mirage ,Las Vegas with David Copperfield ) and Fatha, still the best drummer in his price range, and now officially fifty million years old!!

nice one chaps.

Daggers.

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E-MAIL CORNER
Hi to Phil Gregory from BOONS in WAKEFIELD. Glad you enjoyed the gig!

Thanks to Adrian Riley who's found the Website. Happy to be of service!

Hello to Brian ( and Steph ) who were at the gig in Bourne.

Another e-mail from the USA!!!
Hi to Carol Kidd from Texas. Another US fan. Spread the word! Thanks for writing!

A big "HELLO" to Deborah Perl in Monterey California who sent me this e-mail .....

"Colvis...one of the most impressive sites I've ever seen! Now that's a real work of art! I've never seen the Blueflies live cause I'm in the U.S. - but I've seen Miles' work and I'm a HUGE fan....I can tell you first hand that he's a big star over here AND a major hunk as we say....He's a bad mutha!

Wishing you health and happiness,

Deborah Perl"

Hi Deborah, you are the first official Blueflies fan in USA!

Hello Anne-Marie at INTEX

Thanks Jon for your e-mail.............
Here I was staying at my mother-in-laws in Saltburn when I heard there was a live band on at the Victoria. Your performance was very impressive - polished and professional. My wife particularly liked the Led Zep bit ('it's the Top of the Pops theme').
I will certainly try to make your Leeds venue on the 5th (it's a whole lot nearer that Saltburn for me).

Regards JD

Enjoy the Leeds Gig!! Col.

The Turks Head South Shields 11th July.

Have you noticed? The more appreciative the audience, the better Miles plays! I think back to gigs at The Stage Door in Scarborough, The Nursery in Hartlepool and Fibbers in York. Brilliant crowds and superb performances from Miles, Gav and Fatha.!

Today I was part of one the most friendly, enthusiastic and noisy audiences I’ve EVER been in and I’ve been watching the ‘Flies ever since Zoots disbanded!

South Shields is this side of the Tyne Tunnel so Linda and I, Steve and Pat, and Eric and Elaine ( Blueflies virgins! ) didn’t need our passports to get to this gig which kicked off at 3.30pm! The Turks Head overlooks the river close to the mouth of the Tyne and is one of those traditional pubs that still has the authentic feel of a working man’s pub. Good beer as well! We arrived at around three fifteen and found the room already full of expectant Geordies. This was the ‘Flies third visit and word of mouth had ensured a good turnout. Phil the landlord provides a pretty good PA and is a genuine music lover. This is obvious when he gets totally mesmerised by Miles wicked solos!

The first half opened with a thumpin’ “I’m a Mover” which nicely set the mood for the afternoon. “The Riot in Cell Block No.9” was so good it almost caused the musical equivalent of premature ejaculation! A steadier “Messin’ ‘Round with You”, was followed by James Brown’s “Papa’s got a Brand New Bag” and then a superb Fatha Feature in “ Love the One Your With”. “ Twiztin” time lead into an UNBELIEVABLE “Crossroads”, one of MY favourites. Miles’ fingerboard was SMOKING and the crowd literally ROARED their approval. WHEW!!
Miles cooled things down again with “Worried Man Blues” and the audience listened to EVERY note!-no chattering anywhere! ( nice to see). The first half finished with Hendrix’s Foxy Lady.............. Time for a break...........

Steve wandered into the Gents and stood along side two of the locals. The following conversation is reported verbatim.
Ist Geordie to 2nd Geordie..... “Hey man, get yer arse out of the bar and come through to listen to this lad. He’s fuckin’ brilliant!
2nd Geordie to 1st Geordie.......”Is he that good?”
1st Geordie........”Aye man, incredible....mind....he’s not as good as Walter Trout!”
Steve....”I’ve not seen Walter Trout, is he good?”
Ist Geordie......”Ye’ve not seen Walter Trout!! Get yersel ter see ‘im man! Ye’ll shit yer pants!”

Praise indeed!

Second Half.
Is that a Joe Walsh number?..... “Cold Sweat”, ”Whole Lotta Love”, ZZ Tops “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Fire”...HOT!!, more Free-“The Hunter”, Hendrix’s “Angel” for Linda. The crowd LOVED every minute.

“Sugar Never Was So Sweet”, lead straight into an inspired “Odyssey”...you know the form... “Peter Gunn”, “James Bond Theme”, the Paradiso solo, Fatha playing “Let There be Drums” The Who, “Batman”, “Sex Machine” Voodoo Chile, 3rd Stone From the Sun, Albatross...... on and on....finishing with Fatha playing drums with one stick and Miles’ guitar with the other. To coin a phrase, Absolutely Fabulous! The crowd now standing, stamping and roaring their approval demanded an encore and were rewarded with a definitive “All Right Now”. An excellent finale to a superb afternoon.
I’ll be back at the Turk’s Head next time. I suggest you make the trip North yourselves, if you can. Watch the giglist and check it out!

Colvis.

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CHEERS!