Collard, Greens & Gravy
Monday, April 28th, 2008Collard, Greens & Gravy
St Andrews Hotel, Sunday 27th April 2008
An unusual name, an unusual band but damn good blues. Ian Collard is a well rounded blues man with a growl in his voice, a bite in his harp and no slouch on the guitar either. James Bridges is the man keeping it all running smoothly with his sharp slide guitar and solid picking in the best of blues guitar traditions. But Anthony “Shortie” Shortte is the talking point of the band. Sitting behind one of the most unconventional drum kits I’ve seen, this guy can tap out the fiercest of rhythms on a vast array of percussion. The die hard blues fans that frequent the St Andrews Pub were all equally impressed and welcomed the return of the band to the venue. My only question …… why no bass player? Whilst the sound is fuller than I’d anticipated, I can’t help thinking it would be of benefit. But then again Collard, Greens and Gravy are not quite the usual blues band and obvioulsy strive to be unconventional.