GIG REVIEW: Joanne Shaw-Taylor **** (From News Shopper)

GIG REVIEW: Joanne Shaw-Taylor ****

4:13pm Friday 27th November 2009

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A FULL house at the Beaverwood Club in Chislehurst was last night treated to a virtuoso performance of electric blues guitar.

Nothing unusual about that perhaps, but the star was Joanne Shaw-Taylor and, although we should have shed all misconceptions about the ability of a young small blonde woman to wield the electric axe, it still came as a bit of a shock to many in the audience.

Once the old geezers got over their excitement at her appearance, due respect was paid to her ability.

Launching into an incendiary instrumental then following up with blues numbers was a sight and sound to behold.

A few blues standards were matched by several self-penned numbers from her best selling album White Sugar with the stand out track being the short but perfectly formed Just Another Word.

A self assurance and willingness to display the emotion she feels for her music endears her to her fans and ripping through Hendrix’s offbeat number Manic Depression does nothing to alter that.

Even a slow blues track like Time Has Come winds up with her setting the roof on fire.

Trading licks with her partner in crime Roger Innis on six-string bass guitar gave the show an added visual appeal whilst her vocals, especially on Blackest Day, brought Janis Joplin to mind.

As an encore she paid the warmest of gestures by inviting teenage support band Virgil and the Accelerators back on stage for a double header during which Virgil gave Joanne a serious run for her money.

By all means go out and buy Joanne’s album but, best of all, catch her live when she’s back from her upcoming American tour.

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