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WALTER TROUT & THE RADICALS
Boom Boom Club, Sutton 8 July 2004
It takes more than just consummate skill on your chosen instrument to become
the one of the leading figures in your chosen musical genre. And so it is
with Walter Trout whose magnificent appearance at a bursting Boom Boom Club,
comprised a mix of superb playing, biographical songs and plenty of good
humour, born of 25 years on the road;
Trout, the former John Mayall/Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker guitarist,
must now be considered a heavyweight in his own right. Aside from his
dexterity! , speed, tone and spontaneity on the guitar, Walter provided enough
highlights from the current "Relentless" album to suggest he has channelled
his life experience into some heart felt material.
"Cry If You Want To", an ode to his young son, was full of close harmonies and is a moving
message from father to son, while "Helping Hand", similarly rejoiced in a
strong harmony filled hook. On the deep blues of "Leave This Town", he
employed a trade mark, heavy duty guitar tone that shook the room, while the
instrumental "Marie's Mood" brought delicate light and shade to the
proceedings.
But Walter is nothing if not the leader of a superb band, and The Radicals
dutifully slipped in behind Walter's spontaneous prompts, such as calling
out for a slow blues in A.
Drummer Joey Parfumi was simply extraordinary - a power house behind the
kit - while the implacable bass man Jimmy Trapp acted as the perfect foil
and anchor for a band that never c! ame anywhere near following any kind of
set list.
And in line with the jovial nature of a truly wonderful night, the ensemble
finished with keyboard player Sammy Avila climaxing the night with an
impromptu "La Bamba".
Earlier on, the 6 piece Roadhouse impressed all and sundry with a fine set
full of guitarist Gary Boner's road anthems such as "Slip Away", and the
darker imagery of the very funky "Voodoo Queen", a song that owes much to
Trout's "On The Rise", but is no worse for that.
Review: Pete Feenstra
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