Review by Paul H Birch, photos by Richard Taggart

Black Country congeniality is well-in-hand by the time we arrive at the Lamp Tavern, there’s good business at the bar, members of the Big Wolf Band are shaking hands with friends among the audience, and no-one appears in any great rush for tonight’s entertainment to begin. Indeed, as a friend will remark; out here, a good night out can be as simple as having a long interesting natter with someone you’ve just been introduced to.  Yet, much as this appears to be an intimate enough evening, there’s something about the various shades of shades of pine colouring to the drum kit and assorted guitars that while not bearing the faux-military aspirations of a black-leathered metal act still suggest a uniformity or collective goal in mind about which this evening’s act will aspire.

As the lights dim, musicians converge on stage, and further lowkey fashion accessory similarities are noticed: Drummer Tim Jones and bass player Mick Jeynes each wear Andy Capp-styled headwear; Jeynes and singer/guitarist Jonathan Earp sport Blues Brothers sunglasses, black tops and jeans; guitarist Justin Johnson is playing one of those pine-shaded guitars, while seated in a corner behind his keyboards making himself noticed by virtue of a black Stetson and bright red waistcoat is Robin Fox. Tonight, the band are also joined by vocalist Zoe Green, dancing the night away, decked in black.

“Let’s get this party started!” Earp call out, albeit initially it’s a slow blues melody that ensues over which he solos with purpose against deep vibrant chords from Johnson. As an upbeat riff takes life, ‘Valley Of The Fallen Kings’ offers an earthy southern rock feel. Earp soon takes another guitar solo, its notes sustained before curling back into the signature riff even as Fox’s organ picks up and stirs the final verse towards a further profundity.

The pace picks up for the rockier ‘Living On Borrowed Time’, Johnson takes lead vocals, with them four-strong across the breadth of the stage, three of whom become involved vocally, after an organ solo gives way to a cheekier sounding guitar one, the impression is we’re all suitably warmed up. Certainly, the couple to my left are,  dancing together and pretty much continuing to do so for the rest of the night.

“How are we all doing? What a fantastic audience!” come the stage greetings. “We’ve just got the most played album this month on the UK’s IBBA chart,” Earp reveals, with the band scoring above entries by the likes of heavy hitters such as Slash and Walter Trout. In good mood, they offer a chunkier rendition of ‘Got Me Reeling’ than that new Rebel’s Journey album offers, with a deep throbbing bass, strong harmonies and some thick creamy lead vocals. It’s more B.B. King meets Free with a backend soul groove for ‘Lay It On the Line’ where there’s a freaky 60s inspired organ solo prior to a lot of audiences’ hands being raised above heads to clap along. Earp then pulls out a series of trills before his sustaining guitar squeals out and they’re back in for one last verse.

Apparently, the band is also doing well on the Amazon Blues Charts, as Earp notes: “We’ve felt the love from all corners. There’s also some onstage banter about Penthouse, but I didn’t quite catch it rather than any censoring from this end. Nonetheless, ‘Just A Little Bit Of You’ offers us some strutting peacock blues with a little bit of James Gang influence in there, guitars grinding away while the organ sparkles away within the spaces, getting steadily funkier. Extended from its studio rendition, Fox offers a bostin’ keyboard solo and when Earp follows suit he delivers a creative combination of notes. Switching to piano accompaniment for the slower blues of ‘Darker Side Of You’, it’s Jones’ understated but powerful snare use, cutting the beat, that really stands out for me, then more so with the upbeat ‘Rolling With Thunder’, where he practically solos within the framework of the song.

Next up, Zoe Green is to the fore vocally for ‘Never That Easy’, an older track that bustles and brims with a touch of Americana as it moves between lighter heavier textures of sound, until the rockier end presides in a vintage Fleetwood Mac visits Southern rock moment, before eventually giving way to gentle piano strokes and much applause. Lyrically soloing slow blues guitar leads us into ‘If I Ever Loved Another Woman’, Earp with a roar in his voice sings with integrity before moving forward stage-left soloing away; Jones once more driving it towards conclusion joined by a wildly swelling organ sound. It’s swiftly followed by the Latin flavoured rocking blues of ‘Walk In My Shoes’ sung soulfully with a touch of gospel by Green amid dirty guitars, funky bass, and some crazy beats, concluding the first set of the evening.

Commencing the second half of the evening in guitar driven ZZ Top style with the feelgood ‘Heaven’s Got The Blues’, Jeynes and Earp leaning against each-others’ backs as solos ensue, then onto a foot-tapping ‘I Don’t love You’ where the change in sound moves from boogie-woogie piano to wah-wah rooted guitar solos. Green announces the next song is her favourite on the Rebel’s Journey album, from which the bulk of songs tonight originate. The song is ‘Rise Together’ and live  it’s oddly more Dire Straits meets Squeeze playing the blues sung by Chris Rea – I doubt very much anyone else would make such comparisons, but no matter, blues in essence there are Americana and gospel aspects to the number, befitting its theme that with others beside you, you can overcome obstacles. A quieter more tender section with just piano and vocals precedes a three-strong vocal, guitar-fuelled finale. ‘Looking In Your Eyes’ finds Earp and Green trading lines on this sultry late night heavy drinking number over fluid piano melodies, an almost reggae beat stirring away in the background, the song reaching its climax amid Green’s emotive scat-delivered wailings. ‘Standing In The Rain’ follows somehow configuring itself initially as a 12 bar blues waltz before repurposing itself as something of a power ballad, and it’s only now that it strikes me how Earp’s guitar tone sits somewhere between that of Gary Moore and Carlos Santana.

More hirsute and meaty is ‘Six Strings Loaded’ echoing The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more so Bad Company by virtue of its Mick Ralphs-styled sharp but dirty guitar sound; stirring and powerful, not least the vocals, once more Jones deploying a series of explosive paradiddles as the song comes to an end. It’s matched by ‘Black Dog Blues’, staunch with a hefty stomp, and the music continues to vary and flow, all while sitting in a modern blues milieu.

The songs tonight are also a little different to those on record, more lived-in and some extended, as example ‘Empire And A Prayer’ becomes full-on big city blues rock. The night is drawing to an end however, Earp expresses his thanks for those who’ve followed him and the band, that there have been hard times along the way, not least the loss of a son. Thus, in tribute, is performed ‘Darkest Of My Days’. There’s no veiled allegories or sense of deeper understanding to the lyrics; straightlaced, they express existential despair, the guitar solo that surfaces is earnest, digs deeps, doing what the best always do and carry the weight of those emotions that words fail us with. As Jeynes’ bass routes the sound, band introductions are given, and in returning to the song as Earp sings: “My tears fall like rain,” Green, who’s stood patiently to one side during the number returns to her mic, the anguish in her voice matching the last molten notes of guitar.

An audience roars out approval, a cathartic moment having passed, and so Big Wolf Band’s second set. But it’s not over yet, “Do you want some more?” calls out a veritable red-haired Thor in a Black Country accent, and the congregations replies with a singularly loud “Ahr!”  Time then, for an encore, a cover of Joe Bonamassa/James House’s ‘Oh, Beautiful’ that sees Green and Earp trading deep gospel refrains before the song’s Zeppelin-imbued blues rock riff takes hold and the song swings with a more earnest zest for life, the three guitar line-up standing alongside each other, extrapolating in solo over an epic instrumental section before returning to the main riff to sign off, amid empowered wailing vocals, then Earp crying out: “Lamp Tavern, thank you very much!” they turn towards their drummer staccato power chords are shot out on repeat, then building to a collective crescendo, that’s it, folks, save for a mighty roar from a venue that’s a little bit of heaven here in the Black Country.