Helluvablog

Went to see John Hammond at the Robin 2 last night. The guy is just stunning. Went with Rachel, who’d never seen him before and had only heard a couple of songs and Kev who had never heard of him. I bought Kev a ticket for his birthday.

Both of them were blown away, so two new converts.

I’ve just never seen anyone wring so much out of an acoustic guitar – his playing just defies belief. Add to that a huge, warm voice capable of everything from a high, high wail to a liver-trembling bass rumble and a repertoire of songs perfected over the last forty-plus years of touring. Just him on a stool for two hours, no crazy light show, bashing a rhythm out with his foot on the bare boards of the stage, a harmonica in a cradle on his neck, swapping between a standard acoustic guitar and a National Steel guitar, tuning on the fly and throwing out the most heartfelt, authentic blues you’ll ever hear played live. There is nobody else alive playing with this passion and talent. Forget the plodding formulaic (and often dull) acoustic blues played all over the world by this-guy and that-guy. Every song in the set was jaw-in-your-lap stunning, from the frantic, guitar-body slapping screamers to the low, slow blues ballads.

No really – he is that good.

Look:

Here is a list of tour dates.

Do yourself a favour: If any of these venues is anywhere remotely near you go and see the guy play. If you aren’t impressed I’ll give you your money back… (maybe).

As an aside, if you ever go to the Robin 2 wear some old shoes – the floor will suck the soles off of em so you might as well ruin an old pair rather than new ones. Also, take your own glass. I thought the practice of giving plastic glasses had stopped years ago. It certainly has in Birmingham. Maybe it’s because the Robin is in Hicksville. There’s something really demeaning about being served beer in a fucking plastic beaker.

“Excuse me, I haven’t comes to physical blows with anyone since… well, since before you were actually born by the looks of things. All of my motor skills are at peak efficiency and holding onto a glass without dropping it is way, way within my capabilities. I am neither a knuckle-dragging neanderthal nor educationally subnormal and I have actually paid all this money to see a performance by an artist whom I admire rather than to fight people and hurl stuff at the stage. I am well aware of the consequences of such actions and have avoided them since my early teens, and it is very unlikely that I will slip and drop one of your glasses because your floor is so sticky that you need Acme Triple Strength Fortified Leg Muscle Vitamins just to lift your fucking feet off the fucking floor because you haven’t shoved a mop round here in the last twenty years, I am quite obviously over eighteen what with this being a pub and all, in fact I’m quite obviously over thirty and more than capable of holding ceramics without causing myself or others injury – even one-handed – and besides anything else it warms the drink and makes my fucking beer taste fucking HORRIBLE!!”

*pant* *pant*