I wake up to the dawn I’m a stranger in my bed / With one eye on the circle sun I raise my weary head

Friday 29 April – I’m constantly amazed by the fact that, despite my large CD collection and wide taste in music, there are still many excellent artists that I still haven’t stumbled across yet. A case in point arose tonight when three of us (later joined by another two) braved the warm spring air to venture into The Duchess to see Sandi Thom.

Support came from a former guitarist and co-writer from Thom’s band, Marcus Bonfanti. My heart sank somewhat at the sight of one-man-and his-guitar but Marcus immediately blew my socks off with a blistering set of Blues with ferocious guitar work and a huge voice. I’m guessing that the majority of his set was drawn from his album What Good Am I To You as he played the title track and at least two others that I caught the names of; Give Me Your Cash and Sweet Louise. Excellent stuff and highly recommended.

Sandi then took to the stage along with her band; a keyboard player, bass and lead guitarists and a drummer. Sandi has a great voice and is complemented by a set of high-energy musicians. The set consisted of tracks taken from her three albums, but concentrating on her latest release, Merchants and Thieves, plus a few covers thrown in for good measure.

Of the original material I certainly caught Shape I’m In, Runaway Train, Belly Of The Blues and title track Merchants and Thieves. Obviously we got I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flower in My Hair), but nothing like the original. Marcus came onstage to assist on guitar for This Ol’ World. Of the covers we were treated to House Of The Rising Sun and Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. In fact the whole sound of the band was very much in the style of early Fleetwood Mac, and that’s no bad thing. Very highly recommended.