Artist: Dan Patlansky, DSB, Laurence Henderson
Venue: Southampton 1865
Date: 19 May 2023
Tonight was a master class lesson in how to play Blues Rock guitar.
The 1865 again hosted Dan Patlansky, who had a very successful appearance last year. The attendance was very good for an artist who is still not really well known. There was standing in front of the stage and some seats, stools and tables scattered around the rest of the floor space were also fully occupied.
The first support act was DSB; a four piece from Salisbury that played a twenty minute set consisting of a mixture of their own Americana and Blues tinged songs. The band were very good and the songs were enjoyed by the audience. Watch out for them, they are worth seeing. The second support act was Laurence Henderson, who is usually part of a band, but last night however, he was joined by Millie Thimaras. Henderson played acoustic guitar and sang whilst Tavares joined in with vocal harmonies and percussion. He played his own compositions and also performed songs by both Eric Gales and Joe Bonamassa. His guitar playing was exceptional and his thirty minute set went down very well with the crowd.
The intro music which was ‘Bring It On Home’ by Sonny Boy Williamson saw Patlansky with his battered blue Stratocaster launch into ‘Lift Off’, a fast Blues Rock instrumental that immediately showcased what a fantastic guitarist he is. This was followed by ‘I’m On My Way’, a Blues shuffle with a sublime guitar solo. As usual with The 1865, the sound mix was just right, not too loud but loud enough. After this he talked about new songs being on the set list because he felt that he wanted to “bed in” these songs before he recorded them for a future album. He also introduced the other two members of his band; bassist Greg Van Kerkhof and drummer Andy Maritz. The next new songs were ‘Humbled’ that was a very heavy Blues tune full of great riffs, and ‘Heart Of Stone’, which he had written at the age of twelve, and was a very slow Blues number. There was a very quiet section in the song and it was to the audience’s credit that they remained quiet during it, before it built up into a screaming guitar solo.
The new songs came thick and fast and continued with ‘Who I Am’, a mid-tempo song, and ‘One With Fire’ which was another hard Blues Rock song that was full of moody vocals. He then explained that the title of the next new song, ‘Movin’ On’ was a phrase that his father used to say to encourage him during challenging times. This was a slow ballad style of tune, highlighting the harmonies by the other band members.
After a tale about a fan doing a video on YouTube in 2009, which had received three million hits, he then broke into ‘Big Things Going Down’, which showcased how extremely quick and melodic his guitar playing could be. The final song was ‘Backbite’ off the album ‘Dear Silence Thieves’ which was vastly extended from the version on the album and contained short but sweet bass and drum solos.
After being recalled back for an encore, he thanked the audience and then launched into ‘Red Velvet Suit’ which was laden with earworm riffs. The set list was certainly a very big gamble on his part as it contained many new songs that his audience had never heard before, and only one or two known ones; but from the crowd reaction all night it had paid off. Tonight was a master class lesson in how to play Blues Rock guitar. I hope that with the release of the new album next year that a wider and bigger audience will get to appreciate what we heard last night.
Review: Paul Gregory Photos: Will Carter
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