Philip Sayce Bristol Fleece 28-11-24

 

First up was Troy Redfern who on this tour was playing as a 2 piece with Nicky Waters on drums providing a raw tribal pounding rhythm full throttle assault on the senses.

Playing in support of his latest album Invocation he showed off his slide guitar prowess and it was good to see the counterplay with Nicky as they fed off each other enjoying the moment.

Ending with fan favourite Sanctify they left to great applause and they will be back on the road in early 2025 for a headlining tour.

I missed Philip Sayce last year due to clashing shows but cleared the decks to make sure I could finally see him this year. Last year's Bristol show had obviously been a success as a great sized crowd greeted him and his band and good to see an all age group show with plenty of uni students in attendance.

For 2 hours we were treated to a fantastic career best of set with Philip's band mates Sam Bolle on bass and Bryan Head on drums the rock for Philip to show off his fretboard prowess.

Plenty of band interplay and love how a nod of the head can extend or end a song or just change a dynamic.

Philip is one of the greatest guitarists on the planet and we had his full range of skills with a fluidity few can match and he can it seems riff and solo at the same time and the switch between to watch at close quarters was mind blowing.

Starting with Out Of My Mind this is no warm up song as Philip hits top speed immediately and his vocal range showed good depth of range and a melodic bluesy tone.

Steamroller/ Powerful Thing was a highlight with the band showing great chemistry and Philip vocal superb and another stunning guitar solo with speed dexterity and poise.

Good to see some light and shade in the show with Once taking the pace down a notch and Philip's excellent vocal delivery.

Blues Ain't Nothin' But A Good Woman On Your Mind was a cover of the Don Convay number and it's blues standard was lapped up by the crowd with heads nodding and Philip's guitar solo was fiery and the band rhythm was perfect and a joy to watch.

The instrumental Aberystwyth took us back to his roots as he was born there and then moved to Canada as a child.

Lady Love Devine from his latest album The Wolves Are Coming had a funky tinge and big chorus before This Is Hip was a John Lee Hooker blues cover and played with love and devotion to the original.

Alchemy was stunning being a lengthy instrumental with Philip again showing off his skills and some light and shade showing off his emotive held note style that was exemplary.

So glad to have finally seen the great man in concert and hope for more in the future.

A couple of UK shows due in the next few days so do yourself a favour you won't be disappointed.

All photos used with thanks and credited to Andy Gregory.