Housed in the sprawling complex of Warwick University, the Arts Centre is a diverse space that hosts every type of performance from classical to comedy and drama to film. Tonight a very special concert is held which features two very unique artists from both sides of the Atlantic. First up, from our side of the pond it’s Wille And the Bandits, actually it’s just Wille Edwards and a solitary Bandit, the band opting to perform as a duo. Armed only with guitars, they turn in an enjoyable set that soon wins over the crowd and by second track ‘Got To Do Better’ they’re firmly in the groove. If you want to know just how loud two musicians can get then you need look no further than the guys tearing up the stage tonight as a lively rendition of ‘Four Million Days’ threatens to take the roof off the Butterworth Hall. Despite the parred-back performance (the pair remain seated throughout), they have a magnetic presence that draws all eyes, and ears, towards the stage. A solid set that sates fans and wins many new admirers.

The brightest (and most powerful) voice in contemporary blues and hard rock, Beth Hart’s legacy in the hallowed halls of rock and roll is undoubtedly assured, but this is one artist not content to rest upon past glories. With latest album (2024’s You Still Got Me, reviewed here) out in the world and doing great business, Beth has hit something of a purple patch and is bristling with confidence which only an artist at the top of their game can bring. While many such artists would make an entrance of Kiss-style proportions (i.e. with ticker tape and explosions), Beth appears with little fanfare and sits behind a grand piano for a rendition of ‘Machine Gun Vibrato’. However, it’s no less powerful as the cold, icy keys make the perfect counterpoint to Beth’s warm, chocolatey voice and it’s a combination that causes a kind of mass hypnosis and casts a spell over the entire venue. The following ‘Face Forward’ finds Beth tinkling the ivories again but it is when she takes centre stage that the fun really starts. Moving with the savage grace of a cat half her age, the jaunty ‘Bang Bang Boom Boom’ affords plenty of opportunity for crowd participation, whilst the ska-infused ‘Let’s Get Together’ finds Beth making the first of several sojourns into the crowd to sing from the knee of a lucky punter.

Beth Hart is one of very few performers (along with Freddie Mercury and Bruce Dickinson) who can magically transform the biggest shows into intimate affairs, and that’s precisely what happens tonight as we’re transported from boomy haul to small blues club. A neat acoustic section that finds the band perched precariously on the edge of the stage helps create that familiar vibe, but whether rocking acoustically or plugged in and amped, it feels as if Beth and band make personal contact with each and every person present. There’s no signs of flagging over the course of an almost two hour set and parting shot ‘Savior With A Razor’ brings the curtain down in style. However, the band return for two well deserved encores, the second of which is a bombastic version of ‘Good Times Bad Times’. It takes a brave soul to wrestle with Led Zeppelin, but in the case of fortune favouring the brave Beth tackles it head on, takes ownership and makes it her very own and in doing so shakes the ground beneath our feet. Good times, indeed.

Beth Hart Set List:

1. Machine Gun Vibrato
2. Face Forward
3. Heart Black As Night
4. Bang Bang Boom Boom
5. Let’s Get Together
6. Caught Out In The Rain
7. Swing My Thing Back Around
8. St. Teresa
9. The Ugliest House On The Block
10. No Place Like Home
11. Drunk On Valentine
12. Broken & Ugly
13. Baby Shot Me Down
14. Lullaby Of The Leaves
15. Sinner’s Prayer
16. Suga N My Bowl
17. Pimp Like That
18. Savoir With A Razor
19. War In My Head
20. Good Times Bad Times