Loving Angels instead...

I promised I would report back, and here I am!

A fantastic gig – really glad we made the effort to go (it’s the best part of an hour on the motorway, plus a trip through the back streets of Sheffield, which have changed greatly since I were a lad).

It was apparently a quiet night by Acoustic Angels standards – Bank Holiday weekend, so a lot of the regulars were away, and we didn’t need to turn up quite as early as we did. Consequently we were close to the head of the queue and grabbed a prime table near to the front. Still, by the time the band came on, the place was pretty full, helped by the fact that it’s quite a small venue (The Boardwalk, in Sheffield, in case you aren’t keeping up).

John and the boys proceeded to belt out a range of cover versions for the next few hours, taking in everything from disco classics to Country & Western to U2. Personal highlights were Bowie’s ‘Starman’ and a cracking version of ‘Substitute’ by The Who. John’s versatile vocal performance managed to carry off this wide range of styles, and he was ably helped by the band – stars for me were Steve Beighton on sax and the very charismatic and talented Julian Jones, who also did a couple of his own songs.

All in all, an excellent night, helped by the friends we went with and the mad Acoustic Angels/Boy on a Dolphin fan base, who know how to party.

My only complaints – a week of sleep deprivation meant that I was flagging by about 10.30 (didn’t get home ‘til 1.00am), and the volume. Perhaps I really am getting old, but it shouldn’t hurt, should it? Unless you’re at a Motorhead gig? I think small venue meets sound engineer with aspirations to stadiumhood.

So, check out any of John Reilly’s projects – Acoustic Angels, Boy on a Dolphin or his solo work. And look out for his collaborators, particularly the ridiculously talented (and thoroughly nice) Steve Beighton and his magic fingers.