Here is a live review of my performance at Diggle Blues Festival, courtesy of Martin Byrom featured in this months issue of Blues in Britain. Half Deaf Clatch Diggle Blues Festival The Hanging Gate, Diggle 8.6.2014 For seven minutes they struggled; the diners and regular drinkers at the Hanging Gate had a choice. Outside a beautiful afternoon beckoned. Inside, a man, a resonator guitar and a butchers board stomp had just got through the first two songs of a two hour set that had peaked their curiosity. The idle chatter had just begun again when the gravel and fire of the mans unaccompanied voice cut through like a knife - It aint about the money, it aint about the fame. It aint about the women, its how you play the game. The true blues devotees exchanged smiles and knowing looks. Those casual listeners were going nowhere. Andrew (Half Deaf Clatch) McLatchie had opened the catch, lifted the latch then closed down the hatch. The sincerity in the delivery of that opening line and the rhythm of the staccato slide and stomp that then ensued stated that here was the genuine article. Seeing Red, that followed, was not a song about anger but about his love for partner and manager Red Burley who, just before the break, also proved shes no slouch at harmony singing; accompanying Clatch on a haunting acappella rendition of Blind Willie Johnsons Titanic disaster spiritual God Moves On the Water, and Good Things, a sprightly acoustic guitar driven anthem to a gold digger, given its second live outing here and due to appear on Clatchs next album. Blind Willie isnt the only past blues great admired by Clatch. Songs by R L Burnside, Skip James, Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson (his Last Fair Deal Gone Down given an almost Bukka White Jitterbug Swing treatment) and Mississippi Fred McDowell were all aired. The latter receiving his own tribute in the second half opener Dont Mess with Fred. In fact, all were paid homage to in the fantastic Deathly Blues; a new song inspired by Clatchs reveries while listening to the ghosts of bluesmen long gone captured on old LPs. Its lyrically strong, and given its the voice/slide/stomp combination that mesmerises in Clatchs performance its easy to forget he writes some great lines. Here are just three - The road is hard, its lonely and its cold, and its hard enough to sell your soul with your dreams already sold from A Road Less Travelled. Then theres Well I dont have super powers baby and it dont seem right, every time I try to please you youre my Kriptonite from Im No Superman, and finally its hard to think of a better metaphor for a gorgeous unattainable woman than hotter than the sun, just as distant from Hot As The Sun. This was also his closing number in which he had the audience elongating their vocal la la accompaniment till they sounded like fans chanting for their favourite character at a Teletubbies convention! Afterwards the unassuming Clatch admitted to me that hes not always aware of his surroundings when performing, only that he himself is in a good place. Im sure many musicians share the same experience, however its clear from this showing that he has that all important ingredient: the ability to take his audience along with him.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 16:06:18 +0000
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