If ever you’re in Perth on a Tuesday night and have a thing for a bit of live blues music then look no further than The Charles Hotel, where the Perth Blues Club host their weekly events, showcasing some of the best local, national & international blues acts around. Established in 1992 the club, run by volunteers as a non-profit community organisation arrange three acts each week
I ventured along there this week, as I had heard whispers of a band that had played the Blues Club last year and had impressed the regulars so much that they had been asked back. MICHAEL, comprising of the incredibly talented husband and wife team of Sam (guitar) and Reggie (vocals) Micheal, along with the equally impressive Giles Lowe (bass) & Alex Megaw (drums) play a wonderful selection of blues, rock and a little bit of soul with some good old dirty guitar work to boot.
Kicking the night off with Alain Toussaint’s ‘There’s a Break in the Road’, Reggie leads from the front with her strong soulful vocals, with funky basslines punching the air throughout the set from Lowe. Next up is ‘Killing Floor’ by Howlin’ Wolf before we are blessed to hear the band’s first original track of the night ‘Heartache’, which shows us they are not just a club cover band. The track receives great applause as Reggie tells us it’s the first time they’ve played the track in “public”. It’s hard to put a finger on Reggie’s voice as she can transfer from blues to soul to rock n roll with ease and this is evident with her outstanding rendition of Etta James’ ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’, where I almost hear a little bit of Beth Hart in there too. We move not only through genres but also time as we are brought a bit more up to date now with a 2016 song in the form of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s ‘Laugh About It’ before another Etta James classic ‘Something’s Got a Hold On Me’ is given the Michael treatment in faultless fashion. Bill Wither’s ‘For My Friends’ leads us into another Michael original ‘Uncle Johnny’, which once more shows us what these guys can and hopefully will do more of. We get to see Megaw’s drum skills as he’s unleashed with a short solo, before the final two songs ‘Them Changes’ by Buddy Miles & Freddie King’s favourite ‘Going Down’. The guys leave the stage to a great ovation before being cheered back for one more and what an encore it is in the shape of ‘Funk 49’ by The James Gang, with Sam letting go with his note perfect guitar work.
Michael played a great set full of quality & variety tonight, while having great connection with the audience and making sure everyone was entertained. I will certainly be looking out for them again.
Visit The Perth Blues Club website (https://www.perthbluesclub.com/) or find them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/theperthbluesclub/ to see their weekly band & artist line-ups.
Set List: There’s a Break in the Road, Killing Floor, Heartache, I’d Rather Go Blind, Laugh About It, Something’s Got a Hold On Me, For My Friends, Uncle Johnny, Them Changes, Going Down,
Encore: Funk 49
