Review: Dan Patlansky, Thunderbolt

Normally the Tunnels snags the up and coming blues players, but the Thunderbolt pipped ‘em to the post with Dan Patlansky. This guy is getting a lot of exposure and has supported Bruce Springsteen back home in South Africa, so there was a palpable air of expectation before his performance in the confines of a pretty rammed ‘bolt. Before we got to hear him though, we had a VFM three-band support set.

First up were Blue Horizon, a youthful Weston trio, purveyors of heavy blues as they were played in the seventies. A muscular rhythm section gave space for some great riffing and tasty solos, but with funk & jazz influences to spice things up. Well worth a look and credit to them for plenty of originals in the set. The Will Edmunds Trio by contrast played a much smoother set – covers, but not the obvious tunes – and whilst just as adept as the openers, they had less heavy and a more, um, elegant take on the blues. Not to pit either band against each other – the two outfits complemented each other and amply illustrated how versatile the genre can be in the right hands.

The surprise support was Snatch it Back featuring ex-Groundhogs drummer Ken Pustelnik. After their slot he mentioned that the band often play in 30 minute jazz / blues jams, but earlier that day decided to mix it up. So they rehearsed a set of mostly sixties covers and bugger me, what they did to those tunes was by no means consensual. Played with velocity and aggression that was more ’77 than ’67 we had squalling guitar laid over bass so muscular you suspected steroid abuse and the drumming? Wow, B24/7 has witnessed drummers half Ken’s age with drum kits twice the size play with less power & precision. Screw the jazz epics, these guys should be me mixing it up much more often.

Dan Patlansky had a lot to live up to and opening with Backbite (the opening cut from the new record Dear Silence Thieves) was a strong statement of intent. He and his trio (Clint Falconer & Andy Maritz – D n B respectively) were clearly comfortable on stage, with a relaxed but tight vibe that clearly comes from having played a few gigs. The material was the most contemporary of the night, and it was good to hear lyrics that didn’t mine the usual “My baby done left me” clichés. Pop Collar Jockey, as well as being as catchy as hell, had a great back story that illustrated being punched in the face by a wannabe gangsta can have unexpected fringe benefits. The sound was nice and crisp – and had been throughout the night – allowing the songs to shine, and if you want a lazy comparison, a set more Stevie Ray Vaughan than Joe Bonamassa, lifted by Dan’s melodious rasp.

The set leaned heavily on Dear Silence Thieves and those tunes have strong crossover potential, but equally allowed for some extended solos and improvisation, which satisfied the more purist fans. And that demographic were left pretty moist after the set concluded with a mighty instrumental cover of Voodoo Chile, arguably the only (slight) misstep as it would have been great to hear a couple more original tunes, particularly earlier material.

You’ll have chance to make up your own mind about Dan when he returns in the Autumn to support Joe Satrianni, let’s hope there’s enough leeway on his visa to allow a few solo shows.

Photo credit: Doug Bearne