Tuesday, 24 June 2008

Sweet Jesus I’m on fire. She has the sweetest darkest side.


Friday 20 June – and tonight we are taking a chance on going to watch a band at The Roman Bath that we’ve never seen before, the Chantel McGregor Band (and on MyFace). We figured that if they were no good we could always pop down the road to The Terrace and watch a covers band.

I was running a bit late and the other guys were already there. The Druid was standing with his mouth open as Chantel had just finished a sound check that had left him speechless. And that was pretty much how the evening unfolded, as we all stood agog at this diminutive slip of a lass from Bradford who proceeded to rattle through some of the amazing guitar work that I’ve ever heard.

The band itself consists of: Martin Rushworth (drums), Jonathan Clapham (bass), and Chantel McGregor (vocals and guitar). Chantel herself is just twenty-one and already qualified at grade eight and the holder of the prize for outstanding musicianship at the Leeds College of Music for 2006/2007. I simply don’t posses the vocabulary to express the talents of this pint-sized prodigy, you’ll just have to go and hear her for yourself. However, I did get the set list from the gig which I reproduce here to show the type of music that the band play so brilliantly. One Of These Days Ten Years After (in the style of Joe Bonamassa), White Room Cream, Up In The Sky Joe Satriani, Stormy Monday T-Bone Walker (in the style of Eric Calpton), Help Me Joni Mitchell, Daydream Robin Trower, All Along The Watchtower Bob Dylan (in the style of Hendrix), Gold Dust Woman Fleetwood Mac, Had To Cry Today Blind Faith, Tea For 1 Led Zepplin (in the style of Joe Bonamassa), Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix, Red House Jimi Hendrix, For The Love Of God Steve Vai, New Day Yesterday Jethro Tull (in the style of Joe Bonamassa), and Mountain Time Joe Bonamassa.

Check out her website for forthcoming gigs. She’s back in The Roman Bath at York on 6 September 2008 and so will I.

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