Walter Trout – Leeds City Varieties Music Hall Thursday 8 March

Let’s start be saying what a great venue this is. Most people will remember it as the venue that hosted the Good Old Days TV programme. The venue has recently been renovated and a fantastic job has been done.


Unfortunately I only caught the last three songs from support act, The Mitch Laddie Band, but what I have heard was very good and I hope to catch them again in the future.

The Walter Trout Band kicked of their set with a guitar intro and then into two rocky numbers Help Me and Life in the Jungle which contained great guitar solos from the man himself and Hammond organ solo from Sammy Avila.

This was followed by The Life Style of the Rich and Famous, the first of four tracks from the Blues for the Modern Daze CD which is released in the UK on 23 April. Walter explained that the idea for the song came from a saying used by Robin Leach on an American TV show. This song had more of a blues feel than two previous numbers.  We were back into the rocking grove for the Helping Hand this featured the first appearance excellent guest vocalist Andrew Elt. A Dutch singer who has fronted a band called Sleeze Beez.

Following a comment from the crowd Walter told a funny tale of how it was like the Sopranos where he grew up and he gave them free CDs to keep them happy before going into another new song Brothers Keeper which again was more to the blues end of the spectrum. We then had another comedy break to discuss the wind problems bass player Rick Knapp was having on stage before moving onto another new song Saw My Mother Crying which was about the struggles Walter’s mother went through bring him up on her own. This song featured some really stron
 and thought provoking lyrics.Mitch Laddie was invited back onto the stage for a jam session before Andrew Elts was back on stage to rock us through Mercy.

The pace was then slowed for Catfish Blues before going into a drum solo from Michael Leasure. Now a drum would normally be good time for me to head to the bar, but like everything else in this evenings show it was entertaining, humorous and captivating. The encore was made up of the title track from the forth coming CD Blues for the Modern Daze before signing off with Going Down. One hell of a show, one hell of a band and one hell of a guitar player. If the Walter Trout Band is playing near you go and check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Walter uses a standard Fender Stratocaster with hand made pickups by Seymour Duncan who made them sound like Walter's original 1973 Strat which he had since new. He no longer tours overseas with his original 1973 Strat as it is too precious to him. He uses no effects pedals and controls everything from the guitar.

A big thank you to Richard Boyles who supplied these wonderful photos that were taken on the UK tour at Clitheroe and Bilston.

 NH