Reviewed by Paul H Birch, photos by David Pickles

An inauspicious location for a music venue, many a good word’s been put in and here I am. It’s an old fashioned boozer at the front, pleasant enough staff and punters lingering about supping ale. Then a walk round the corner and we’re in a sizeable club room with raised stage and two rows of blue lights currently shining down on it. An intimate but animated audience is gathering, looking around the merchandise stand and the odd one or two scrolling down their mobile phones – And now here’s the thing, even once the room’s become packed and the bands on stage have started playing very few of those gathered are spending their evening raising said phones to put dodgy footage up on YouTube, no they end up watching the acts they’ve paid money for, and using their hands to applaud, and loudly. That goes for the support act too, who calls out, “Excuse me, mate!” because I’m propping up the back of the bar where he needs to come through with his guitar.

Within a couple of minutes, Troy Redfern’s plugged in and emitted a cacophony of sizzling notes, laid down some heavy duty chords and is now affecting a more strident guitar approach. To his immediate left is Paul Annis on stripped-down drumkit who leads from the front, so visually this audience is getting value for money from the get-go.

It’s all boogie and bop in the form of ‘Shakin’’ from Redfern’s most recent album, Retribution. The guitarist’s vocals are suitably gritty but Annis’ percussion is often high in the mix tonight, albeit maybe I’m the only one noticing that because there’s some loud applause when they finish.

From a staccato stomp into a hard rocking blues groove, ‘Taken My Soul’ see the duo throwing some strong upfront visual moves, while there’s particular aural appeal evidenced in a slide solo  that goes from frizzy sustaining antics to more exploratory Hendrix tones before the pairing kick into double time to reach the song’s climax.

“This is a little tune off Invocation that came out last year. This is ‘Native’!” calls out the living embodiment of Marvel Comics’ Ringo Kid as Annis lays down a tribal rhythm. Chugging away it moves into a long instrumental grizzled soundscape.

Redfern points out the merchandise stand’s offering limited editions of a special album titled Retribution, featuring some of the tracks being played tonight. As he leans into ‘Aching Heart’ his voice and guitar surface more clearly in the mix. Quite conversational tonight, Redfern asks if any of us have heard of Son House before his customary epic take on ‘John The Revelator’ and while he makes his guitar vomit out a hefty blues dirge over particularly funky drums it’s his annunciation of the lyrics that draw this listener’s attention.

“This one’s from a few years back, and the album The Fire Cosmic,” he tells us as the heavy boogie of ‘Waiting For Your Love’  has the audience in the grip of his palms. This evening’s support slot means Redfern is delivering a taught set but he still makes time to fit in enough instrumental excursions, this one seeing him work the full length of his fretboard. Joking that his guitar is over a hundred years old and hard to keep in tune we come to his final number, ‘Sanctify’ – Another boogie-orientated number, but taking in a tonal structure mid-solo that at one point incorporates aspects of ‘Voodoo Chile’ as if performed by The Groundhogs’ Tony McPhee, before moving into mellower arpeggios, unlikely medieval madrigals, Eastern scales and some classic rocking along the way before a raised waving hand cries out: “Cheers!” to more hefty applause and a busy 30 minutes and more chatting to fans at the merchandise stand.

As noted, there are few phone-photographers here tonight, but there’s at least two guys doing life drawings of the bands on stage. One being my friend, Jatinder, who’s been up the front, and tells me his son’s fusion band played here the night before. Amiable chats with various parties subside as space sounds gurgle out of the PA and the audience’s applause gets even louder as Hollow Sounds take the stage.

There’s four of them up there before Kris Barras joins, a loose vest revealing he’s possibly outdone Redfern in the tattoo stakes, and as he begins to solo the stage lights turn moodily from blue to green. “Birmingham!” shouts out vocalist Phoebe Jane and within a few bars the music shifts from straight blues to a Bo Diddley beat before earnest stridently heavy R ‘n B with added gospel muster and ‘Borderline’ take possessive form – Barras and keyboard player come second guitarist Josiah J. Manning add harmonies, even as Jane commands: “Let me see your hands!” and the audience, here for a good night out, take her offer up enthusiastically, while somewhere in the mix Barras offers histrionic metal shredding that fits the tune.

I raise an eyebrow as Chris Tilke’s drum beat sounds rather familiar and they launch into Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock And Roll’ – Jane’s voice soaring out highest as she sings “lonely, lonely”. Three chords, a little raw and without the original number’s swagger, it still rocks. Guitar and scat vocals trade licks, getting ever higher before Barras rips into the solo. A cover tune so early, and one that’s going to draw comparison, while expecting an audience watching you for the first time to join in, not the wisest of moves you’d think, well, not unless you delivered the goods. And they did. More so, a party atmosphere has been established.

Phoebe Jane is noted early on as one to watch, and while there feels  a slight sense of nervousness in her body language initially, she’s got the vocal chops and her inborn charisma overrides any shyness as she settles more into the night. The band themselves sound like serious working musos, locking in tight when required and letting matters flow naturally when stepping off the peddle.

She tells us their ‘Bad Things’ single featured The Cold Stares’ Chris Tapp on vocals but they’re going to let Kris Barras “do his bit” and it’s delivered as a heavy stomping funk rocker with a bottom end that sways like an anchor. Catchy R ‘n B again. There’s not much room on stage but they each get into their own personal groove thing, with audience singing along, even as it breaks down to the drum and bass beat of Chris Tilke and Paddy Blight respectively, then surges through to a climactic rock groove.

“We’re going to change things a little bit – We’ve got this wonderful band on stage and we’re going to show you what they can do,” exclaims Jane. Manning leads the way on keyboards over some chilled funk, Barras installs near -fusion styled guitar that veers into something approaching Steely Dan-go-metal, that we slowly realise this is a chilled funked out rendition of ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ – Put the Humble Pie Fillmore fury to one side, this takes us back to Ashford & Simpson’s original then stirs it with brandy and honey. Vocals and guitar scat out at each other once more as the pair visually face off each other – the audience continues to be impressed and continues to spontaneously applause throughout the number.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in Birmingham town,” Barras recalls, espousing on early gigs where he was lucky to get crowds reaching double figures, and that the nearest he’s played here of late is Wolverhampton, which gets a fair few boos meaning these are local lads and lasses who don’t travel. That’s interesting, I thought we all jumped round the Midlands and Black Country whenever we could. The reminiscing leads us back to his first solo album, where Jane was a special guest adding backing “oohs and ahhs” and he knew then she was more talented than to do just that. They launch into ‘Tearing Me Apart’ from that album which has a stomping blues atmosphere but strangely also a touch of the torch song about it, and it’s here where I’m beginning to distinguish Jane’s possible vocal influences; her phrasing on this one is reminiscent of Maggie Bell, but delivered at a higher pitch, while Barras’ guitar plays lyrically in and around the song embellishing it.

Jane tells us she used to watch her father play in a band when she was young and that the next number was what got her into the blues, and it’s the classic ‘Rock Me Baby’ delivered with a heavy shuffle beat, and a repurposed variation on its familiar riff. Here we’ll throw in a little Elkie Brooks and Lulu heard in Jane’s when she begins to holler; whatever the influences on her they’re old school and singers for life. Manning takes this listener by surprise by soloing on organ with its trajectory then taken up a notch by Barras on guitar.

Telling us Monster Truck’s one of his all-time favourite bands and they got Jon Harvey to sing on their EP they offer us ‘Shotgun’ – Tonight it’s slightly reworked more towards blues soul with an empathetic pop hook. If Barras smiles it’s hard to tell from the back of the hall where I stand, a holdover off from his mean cage fighter days perhaps, but the fact he’s shuffling his shoulder side-to-side as he sings into the mic body-dancing in time to the music shows he’s digging it all. Kris Barras Band rocker ‘Propane’ slots in next, tumbling hell for leather like some vintage Gillan number.

Jane saunters about the mid-distance of the stage where there’s just room to dance and click her fingers between where the rhythm section’s deposited. Wearing rock chick black leather mini-skirt, hair pulled back a long pony tail cascading down her back and bobbing about as she dances, when they tell us they’re going to perform perennial blues ballad ‘Stormy Monday’ I ponder the need… Have I written this before? Well, I’ve certainly said it aloud; it’s just not a song I’ve ever been fond of, despite the endless list of brilliant male and female singers who’ve delivered it in the past. Tonight, that changes, not entirely, but somewhat Why I can’t put my finger on? Perhaps it’s the way Manning’s electric piano and Jane’s vocals fall into an evocative less obvious jazz groove.

Either way, there’s a healthy ensemble of skilled players on that stage, working together and letting their female singer shine. Regardless of my taste in tunes the rest of the crowd go ape over it with whoops and hollers aplenty, and that’s before the song anywhere near ends.

Next, a tribal beat has the audience clapping along as Barras’ guitar stirs the mix with a wild streak of sound over what becomes a heavy grooving sexy romp of a tune in ‘Burn It To The Ground’. It’s a self-declaration of life affirming values despite what previous personal grievances one has, as the party continues on stage and about club’s dance floor and likely as not would get a similar reaction outside at a live festival.

‘I Need The Fire’ opens with Celtic metal overtones settling into something more akin to Jo Jo Gunne as both guitars lead the charge before a return to keyboards for Manning where piano will take precedence. “It’s my favourite of the songs that I’ve written,” Barras announces, “It’s called ‘Chasing Ghosts’. Strumming his electric guitar, his voice grittier now as he sings reflectively, Jane joining in the chorus. Throughout the music varies, with keyboard, guitar, scat vocals, and damn  it, I’m sure there was whistling too – It’s like Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’ welded together in a steel factory.

Another Kris Barras Band is offered with ‘My Parade’ where it retains its anthemic attitude – as much due to the crowd singing along while raising their arms and pointing fingers in attitudinal salute, whereas musically tonight the band on stage swing between gospel rock and a deep and doomy swampy blues. When Jane calls out from the stage: “Birmingham, let me hear you sing!” I can only think their monitors are blaring too loudly back at them because there’s a room full of Brummies doing just that, so preoccupied in doing so perhaps that they possibly miss Paddy Blight’s understated bass solo.

“Got time for one more,” Barras tells us introducing the band again before three-part harmonies lead is into a Southern rock tinged ‘Hail Mary’ that’s about as up tempo as its been all night, with the audience down the front jumping up and down. But it’s over all too soon with a “Thank you, you’ve been amazing – Good night!” and they’re off. The bloke beside me sighs loudly, “Man!” more than impressed and fortunately he’s not long to wait for an encore as Troy Redfern joins Hollow Souls on stage. Another blues classic in ‘Goin’ Down’ is offered and they give it hutzpah and drive, add a few pop smarts and some heavy rocking. Redfern and Barras take turn in soloing, trade licks and play in tandem, band members are stepping or skipping about to avoid bumping into each other, but not missing a beat in a good arrangement of the number, and with a final “Take care, goodnight.” They’re off.

Heaving with both Kris Barras Band fans and fresh faces who’ve heard Hollows Souls’ recent bout of singles. This may well be a grass roots tour, but they’ve hit the ground running, and old school word-of-mouth is hopefully going to keep them in business for quite some time to come.

Set List:

1. Borderline
2. Rock And Roll
3. Bad Things
4. I Don’t Need No Doctor
5. Tearing Me Apart
6. Rock Me Baby
7. Shotgun
8. Propane
9. Stormy Monday
10. Burn It To The Ground
11. I Need The Fire
12. Chasing Ghosts
13. My Parade
14. Hail Mary

Encore:

1. Goin’ Down