Philip Sayce and Troy Redfern, Islington Academy, Full Review by Dawn Osborne

Having caught on to Troy Redfern as a crossover artist at Hard Rock festivals like ‘Call Of The Wild’ a few years ago I take every chance I can to see him play. I am not so familiar with Philip Sayce billed as a Blues artist, but I am intrigued hoping that Troy would select a support slot right up his street. I was right and I loved both of their sets. Certainly the intensity of the guitar solos surpasses many a Metal gig! If you love electric guitars as I do, this turns out to be a dream gig!

Troy Redfern is support, packing a real punch! Despite a slimmed down line up with a Punky looking Nicky Waters standing over a slimline two drum and cymbal set up, the sound is still heavy and while the bill is Blues, they are giving Heavy Rock a run for its money. I would be lying if I said I missed the bass (sorry Keira!).

Troy is taking advantage of all that stage space with a highly energetic show making him very much a front man as well as a guitarist. He is straight down to the front with super fast fingerwork, engaging the crowd and thrilling them with his real Rockstar looks and attitude without any hint of an overblown ego.

Given the number of albums he has though, it’s a criminally short set. There’s no way with six songs that he would be able to scratch the surface of his back catalogue. Instead Troy takes the opportunity to showcase a couple of unreleased songs. I am pleased to report that they are very much Blues Rock, building on the success of the last album, just as appealing to Hard Rock fans as Blues afficianados. Then all he has time for are ‘Native’ from the last album, ‘Dark Religion’ from the one before, and ‘Waiting For your Love’ and ‘Sanctify’ from ‘The Fire Cosmic’. All great tracks, probably chosen because they can be made to sound killer with a pared back band with an emphasis on driving syncopation compatible with tonight’s set up. It did feel short, but with such a meaty offering it did not fail to satisfy. I noted that on ‘Waiting ..’ the solo on a resonator had a lot in common with a furiously fast eighties metal solo and I swear Troy is headbanging along.

 

Philip Sayce has toured with Troy before and I love an artist that intentionally recruits a support band that will be a challenge. Sayce grabs the baton and comes on all guns blazing from the start with a track called ‘Out of My Mind’. It’s not long before he is dripping in sweat from the exertion of his lengthy guitar solos. They would blow away most eighties shredders and, being someone coming from that stable, I can really appreciate the intensity and speed of what is on offer. With a bleached white spike flat top he bears a passing resemblance to Mike Tramp of White Lion (when he has his hair short). Jumping, swinging sideways, pointing the guitar at the audience like artillery, some of the performance owes a bit to hard rock forebears too. As such, for someone who sometimes finds a sedate Blues guitarist performance boring, I had plenty to watch to keep me interested while soaking up his great voice and superb playing.

There are a lot of people here tonight, and this is impressive given that we are just before Christmas in a cost of living crisis. Sayce takes the opportunity to thank people “I know there’s a lot of choices and things are crazy out there”.

I love a bit of old Black Blues and we get a Rocked up version of that in the ‘Blues Ain’t Nothing But a Good Woman On Your Mind’ (Don Covay).

Although he has an American accent Sayce was born in Wales and, in a bonding session with the audience he explains why the UK feels like home. He tells a story how, when writing a song with Dave Cobb, Cobb suggested that an instrumental be named after the place Sayce was born. This is the intro to the instrumental ‘Aberystwyth’ precursed with a little Muddy Waters. At times Sayce is reaching such levels of ecstasy that his facial expressions are outta control. Stopping to note that the stage is a lot hotter than the downstairs freezing cold dressing room Sayce exclaims “You guys are really bringing the heat!”.

‘The Lady Love Divine’ written with Richard Marx off the new album ‘The Wolves Are Coming’ is introduced with an acknowledgement to Marx and also to Sayce’s wife. He shares that without her he would not still be on the planet. This is a stomping Swamp Blues number and with Marx’s involvement unsurprisingly has a more Poppy streak. It still has an extended intense solo though (with more facial expressions that are usually found at certain critical times in a bedroom). Sayce also dedicates ‘She’s The Music’ to his amor, and introduces a cover of ‘This is Hip’ by John Lee Hooker by saying it reminds him of his dad.

An instrumental interlude follows in which Sayce makes his guitar sound at various times like John Norum’s atmospheric playing on ‘Vasastan’ and also, at times, like an oboe! I also swear I hear a little Prokofiev! He demonstrates both deep emotion and speed. He strokes the neck repeatedly for caress sounds, runs through scales, soundly jangly for emotional effect and employs his enormous whammy at the end!

 

After the Hard Rockin Blues ‘Morning Star’ we get a long and wild version of Hendrix’s ‘Manic Depression’ before Troy Redfern joined for a joyful improv session in the encore ‘Goin’ Down’.

Far from being a boring Blues guitar gig this was lively and thoroughly enjoying, even for someone brought up on the not so shabby Van Halen! Little did I think I would be looking to Blues guitarists to get my blistering solo fix. This gig did all that and more! Recommended!

 

Dawn Osborne