Asleep at the wheel - Newcastle

rlwrlw Frets: 4671
edited February 2019 in Music
Went to see Ray Benson and Katie Shore at the Sage on Friday.  Braved the train from York and the, potentially, suicidial walk from the station down to the quayside in the snow on the already iced up streets.

The Sage was just over the river, about ten minutes away in, what was now, fresh snow, so some grip to be had. I'm really not sure about the Sage.  It seems like a down market RFH but the food was good and the people were great.  Alcohol was expensive but necessary.

The band (!) were on in Sage 2, which is a small theatre, essentially round with stalls and two tiers on seating going straight up.  Imagine the Royal Albert Hall but much smaller - 330 seats set up as a theatre apparently.   I reckon there were a hundred and fifty people there at the most.

And what a show they put on.  Ray Benson on a leather covered J-200, Katie Shore on fiddle, and they played like they were in front a packed Texas dance hall crowd.  Full on western swing, a bit of Wllie, a bit of Guy Clark, some songs off the new album, some oldies, the works.  If anyone is an expert at getting the best out of his audience, it's Ray Benson. 

And he can play too.  Bloody hell, he can play.  He didn't need a band as he was the Western Swing equivalent of Keef and Django on rythmn and Chet on lead.  Effing awesome to watch and to hear.

It has to be said that Katie Shore plays a mean fiddle and has a voice to match. 

If you like music, admire great musicianship and aren't too genre fixated, the full band are back in the autumn and doing a proper tour, so keep a lookout for the dates.

I've no connection whatsoever by the way but I know class when I see it and this was pure class, Country royalty.






Save a cow.  Eat a vegetarian.
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