There is always a danger with a guitar virtuoso, that the set becomes a 'me me me' kind of night and two numbers in, after a false start (the only string trouble all night), Pini's rendition of I Feel So Bad saw him take the guitar to heights that would have required the builders had the audience not raised the roof themselves. But a little further down the line and King Thomson's Woke Up This Morning was a triumph for all concerned. The whole rhythm section may not have been quite the Blues Move gang, Graham Lacey unfortunately unable to appear, but Mike Hellier and Julian Grudgings proved again that they are quality musicians. Late substitute Gary Rackham on bass showed that Walker's crisps are not the only tasty thing to come from Leicester. If learning the songs via CD on the way to the gig produces this level of performance then I suggest that budding guitarists throw away the Bert Weedon Play in a Day book. 

The blues burns bright because of its imperfections not in spite of them, the songs are battered and bruised by the experiences of their authors. Time and life add a few dents along the way and when they are placed in the hands of a musician and character like Mick Pini then they are given an unique lustre. There was nothing staged or sanitised about The Mick Pini Band's performance. Walter Jacob's Last Night was the kind of steamy blues that had you reaching for the windows to let some air in. The one slight disappointment was the relative lack of original material. Pini is acknowledged as one of the great interpreters of the blues but he undersells himself as a writer. Happily that will be put right early in 2003 with the release of the first 'all Pini' album. We were given a little mouthwatering introduction in the shape I Won't Be Your Fool No More, if Pini can write like this then he should concentrate his efforts a little more. He has that magic quality essential for the blues, cut through the bull and get to the heart of the matter. 

As always the fans have their part to play. Pini feeds off them like a vampire taking blood and all were willing donors, one pair having travelled from Southampton. A trio of moments summed the whole thing up, the cheers that greeted the gigantic rock of You Can Run But You Can't Hide, which opened the second half, the sheer unadulterated enjoyment of a blistering Hendrix segue of Hey Joe into All Along The Watchtower and finally an encore that was a microcosm of everything that was great about The Mick Pini Band. Like A Road the slow-burning anthem from his latest album Blues Gonna Be My Way followed by Buddy Guy's Let Me Love You Baby, the call and response yeahs saw the night finish off as the frat party in Barrels animal house of the blues.

Michael Mee Chief Sub Editor The Southern Reporter

The gig tonight gets going with a Mick Pini original, the instrumental "Avenue 54" which gets us warmed up in gentle fashion. This is followed by Chuck Willis' "Ballgame" that continues in a slow-burning mood before Julian Grudgings' keyboards drive Mick's Gibson Les Paul into a very tasty guitar break.

Another cover, Peter Green's "Watch out woman" has Mick's guitar smouldering so fluidly. The band are really cooking on this number with the rhythm section of Mike Hellier on drums and Graham Lacey on bass holding things close to the action. Mick and Julian interchange short solo's that keep the song tight and uncomplicated.

On Walter Jacobs "Last night" Mick plays a nice tasty harmonica intro which he builds to a rousing solo then lets his guitar come in to finish off in fine style. [He should play more harp; but I guess his guitar is his main instrument and that's what he is known for].

Last tune from the first set was B.B. King's "Woke up this morning" a classic that Mick and the band do justice to before going off for a well deserved interval break.

Freddie King's "Run, you can't hide" kick-starts the second set followed by a new song "I can't win," that Mick has just written and will be included on his soon to be released new album. All I can say is if the rest of the album comes anything like this number, then Mick will be onto a winner! His guitar playing is so dynamic with lots of sustain creating a dreamy, atmospheric sound. I could feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck with this tune - it was awesome!

Mick continues the mood with another Peter Green composition, "Looking for somebody." This number has got to be the ultimate advert for British blues. I can't think of a better way to describe it than absolutely fabulous! The band hold the back line tight and firm and enable Mick's guitar to cry out a passionate plea for unrequited love. The guitar sound that Mick achieves could be described as somewhere between early Peter Green and a bluesy Santana.

Another Pini original "What makes a woman" is again delivered in the same mood before Julian's opening bars to "Green Onions," the old Booker T & The M.G.'s classic.

This pulsating Hammond organ sound continues on into Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help me." [The riff of course is the same; a riff that Sonny Boy stole from Booker T, and not the other way round as most people think. Old Sonny Boy was not afraid to nick idea's from other people, even his name was somebody else's!].

Mick then introduces the next number by asking who had previously wrote "Hey Joe," of course we all shout out Jimi Hendrix!; and of course we were all wrong. Mick then goes into the original version of the song written by Billy Roberts, which is a little more blues-based than Hendrix's version. The Dan Penn/Dan Nix composition, "Like a road" is up next. This tune has a country feel to it and is again, played extremely well with a nice 'free-wheeling' rhythm section behind it. Julian's jaunty piano layers the sound behind Mick's tasteful guitar enabling him to stretch out another short but sweet guitar break.

Final number of the evening was "Loving you," a Richard Ray Farrell number that Mick and the boys turn into their own. A great song to finish with, with yet another tasteful guitar solo.

At the end of the gig I remember thinking that with the exception of Peter Green in his hay-day, I've yet to hear a better British blues guitarist. Mick plays with so much passion and feel for the blues - no wonder that Eric Clapton said of him after Mick had supported B.B. King in 1996, that he was "the legitimate successor to Peter Green." On tonight's evidence you'd be hard pushed to argue with him.

Mike Prendergast. (Thanks to)

An Honour to See Blues Legend in Action

This was an opportune moment to catch up with local lad done good - Mick Pini. There are only two dates left on his tour before he returns to Germany until May. I may have harshly misjudged Mick in the past. Oh, there is no doubting his popularity – he packs them in wherever he’s performing. The trouble was that I could never get on with the brash loud element of his guitar playing. But this time I was determined to listen more attentively. Yes, agreed, his guitar playing drowns out the keys and drums. Perhaps a shade too much. In the past, I tended to think guitarists had to be loud to cover their mistakes, but in Mick's case it is quite the reverse. Once he had settled down into his first set, and for the whole of the second half, you really had to strain to hear any wrong notes or out of time solo spots. What’s more, he made his Fender and Gibson sing sweetly and purely with much clarity. I was pleased he played an old number; Peter Green’s “Looking for Somebody”. It is such an honour to witness the artistry of a living legend in the world of blues rock. One glance around the audience and you could spot other local musicians who had come to see him. The list of tributes of BB King and Eric Clapton on his website must mean so much to him. Truly a musician’s musician.

Steve England

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