Big Boy Bloater Solo Tour -The Basement York - Thursday 5th December 2013

York Basement! A small intimate venue tonight's  show is a suave affair, candlelit tables, ambient lighting and a stage so close you could strum a couple of chords yourself!
        This was to my knowledge Big Boy Bloaters third visit to York, twice with his band The Limits and tonight a run of nationwide solo dates, featuring a mix of original material, rock & roll and classic rhythm & blues a.k.a. Jimmy Reed, Lightening Hopkins et al. His name gives you a clue to the mans stature but it merely scratches a very large surface!

Acoustic Bloater

        The solo show's make up was interesting, I've no idea of the technicalities involved! Big Boy Bloater plays a riff clicks a button on the floor and it repeats, he then knocks a beat out across the guitar frets clicks said button and it joins the earlier riff and repeats! Bloater then cries "yeah got it" and we're off! for all intense and purposes it's a backing band, sometimes it all went a bit pear shaped Big Boy Bloaters disarming manner and sheer stage craft made for an almost seamless show, mistakes all part of the experience. To say BBB then just plays on top of everything would be an injustice the crowd (and it was a good turnout!) were almost drooling to hear those red hot guitar licks, they were not disappointed! What we were witnessing here tonight was one of the best modern day exponents of blues/funk and rock'n'roll artistes on the planet, his audience is growing, once seen you will keep on returning!
        The stage set Bloater explains is his design being solo he felt lonely up hear on stage away from home, so to keep him company he built a bar it had a slight club Tropicana theme, bamboo frontage it's top festooned with vintage era tat and what looked like a violin case, more of that later! The stage floor area was carpeted BBB explained at a prior gig the headline act had brought their own black shag-pile carpet "lovely stuff" said Bloater and after each gig hardened roadies had to vacuum it! BBB's rug was slightly less salubrious a leopard print motif! The support acts did remove their shoes during their sets any cleaning requirements would be a quick shake outside the venue after the gig!
       A semi-circle of guitars posed ready for action, most interesting was a three stringed cigar-box adorned in yet more leopard skin (fake) with bridges  made out of used bullets BBB warned the front rows near fatalities had occurred at previous gig dates, as a red hot riff had been played the fret bullets had been known to malfunction and fly into drinks,eyes and up peoples noses! Robert Johnson (must mention him) would have been proud if the devil plays an instrument it will be a cigar-box guitar! I should also mention Scott's £20 guitar. BBB explained when it's previous owner had fallen on hard times he was right there to help him out with a bargain basement offer for said instrument it's rock bottom price did have a sting in the tail as Scott now lives with them and any financial gain had been well and truly negated by this event!

Cigar-Box Guitar The Devil Has one!

        Every song had a story "Leonard Cohen" from his latest album "The World Explained" was inspired by a bout of food poisoning contracted on their first visit to York with The Limits after the whole band ate in the same sandwich bar within hours all came down with the green-apple-splatter-dacks both ends! The show must go on and  the band played on, fighting over one toilet before ,during and after the gig ,some of the band never came back! The stricken musicians return to their hotel which was hindered by falling snow and a permanently stuck on heater! BBB began to hallucinate a reflected Leonard Cohen's CD case in the tour vehicles wind screen it seemed to be staring ! A song formed in the stifling stench ridden atmosphere  and it stuck and because he survived we get to hear the result!

Big Boy Bloater Stage

Yeah! got it!

          We were invited to guess BBB's real name, maybe we shouted it, he gave no clue but of course he wrote a song about it "That Aint My Name" even after gig inquiry were no go, answers on a postcard the mystery continues!
         It's difficult to quantify just how diverse a player and songwriter he is ? A well known DJ wanted one of his album tracks , "Whammy"on 7" vinyl and stumped up the cash (Collectors Item Sold Out) for  500 to be pressed so what do yo back it with "Double Whammy" an even better track! Which just blew the York Basement crowd away! The cigar-box returned followed by the contents of the violin case it was in fact a ukulele which was used to display BBB's softer side and to highlight that fine voice the old standard "My Prayer" with a dedication to Lady Lisa Queen Bee for looking after him something went in my eye at this point honest!

Not a dry eye in the house Big Softie!

        The list of banter and sheer entertainment kept on coming! A well deserved encore the crowd roaring his return he asked "do you want one more"? Yeah we cry! "Do you want Two more"? Yeah! "Do you want ten more" Yeah the volume now hysterical! "Well please visit the BBB entertainment station who will cater for all your R/B needs" BBB a twinkle in his eye as we all fell for the joke goes straight into "Got My Mojo Working"
    However many songs Big Boy Bloater played it'll never be enough ,the mans larger than life and most people in this room, come back soon Mr Bloater we need more!