Rod Clements:
Vocals, dobro, acoustic guitar
Dave Hull-Denholm: Electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Ian Thomson: Bass guitar, vocals
Paul Burgess: Drums
"The sell-out
audience had travelled from near and far (some as far as Liverpool)
to be part of this historic gig at the String Jam Club, for this was
the world premiere of Rod Clements' new post-Lindisfarne trio, The Ghosts
of Electricity, featuring Ian Thomson on bass and Dave Hull-Denholm
on electric and acoustic guitars. For nearly two hours we were treated
to a non-stop feast of memorable songs and instrumental wizardry, all
punctuated with Rod's droll humour and entertaining anecdotes.
Encompassing numbers
old and new, the evening was dominated by Rod's towering presence as
both a songwriter and guitarist. As befits the major Lindisfarne songsmith,
responsible for some of our best-loved folk-rock anthems such as "Meet
Me On the Corner" and "Train in G Major", it was inevitable
that a few of the Clements-penned Lindisfarne classics would feature
in his set, and by popular demand, too, as shown by the crowd's quick
applause on hearing the opening bars. The main bulk of the set, however,
was Rod's solo material, including favourites from his 2000 CD "Stamping
Ground" and some brand new songs due to appear on his second album
later this year on Market Square Records. Many of the older numbers
were reworked in fresh and unexpected arrangements, and it was particularly
interesting to hear Rod's version of his own Can't Do Right For Doing
Wrong - a recent chart hit for pop songstress Erin Rocha. The poignant
Cowboy in the Rain has become a regular fixture in Rod's solo sets,
and tells the tragic story of ex-Byrds man, Gene Clark, who famously
drunk his dressing room dry whilst on tour with Lindisfarne. The upbeat
Why Can't I Be Satisfied got everyone in the mood, whilst some truly
blistering slide ignited the wry Whole Lifestyle Thing. The one disappointing
omission of the evening was Whisky Highway, a natural closer or encore
if ever there was one, which several audience members called out for
in vain.
Cleverly combining
polish and rawness, the Ghosts' tight and solid arrangements never overshadowed
the passion or spontaneity of their playing, notably in their rendition
of Rod's new song Dead Man's Karaoke - a driving rock number which had
the band really cooking - and the immaculate three-part harmonies never
failed to hit the spot. Morrocco Bound, again performed here for the
first time, is undoubtedly a new Clements classic with its catchy tune.
Cracking melodies,
foot-tapping grooves and accessible lyrics are the established hallmarks
of the Clements style, but one can only wonder why he is not so well-recognised
as an exceptionally versatile guitarist, on both six-string acoustic
and dobro. It's not often that you see one player with the all-round
ability to expertly combine flatpicking, alternating bass finger-picking,
blues, rock, rockabilly, slide and lead solos, all within the space
of three or four songs. One of the highlights of the evening was the
band's encore Road to Kingdom Come featuring an extended and quite dazzling
dobro solo for the intro - no wonder the audience were out of their
chairs - Rod is a serious guitar master.
Two encores and
one standing ovation later, Rod Clements revealed himself as the true
pro that he really is, but also a bit of a rough diamond who has never
lost the rawness and conviction of his blues roots. With a seemingly
endless stream of classy songs, he is a man emerging from the Lindisfarne
years and carving his own unique furrow in inimitable style."
BBC
RADIO SCOTLAND CELTIC ROOTS
"John Sebastian meets Ry Cooder meets Richard Thompson." SING
OUT (USA)
"...the most accomplished musician in Lindisfarne." RECORD
BUYER (UK)
"Superb...very rootsy...a great feel." MIKE HARDING,
BBC RADIO 2
"An easy going style that's hard to fault and appreciable to all."
SIMON JONES, THE CHRONICLE
