A keen sense of anticipation was in the air from the 70 or so music followers who managed to drag themselves away from the TV on a very wet and extremely cold winters night. This was another of the Blues Matters events which are being organised around the region on a trial basis, the trial being to see how many of the music going public are prepared to spend a small amount of money, in this case £5, to see real quality bands.
Norwich has always been a barren wasteland when it comes to paying to see live bands and nothing has changed much since the 60s on this front.
My views on that score having been aired now down to the evenings music.
First to kick off the proceedings were Last Resort, a Blues based local band from Fakenham, they certainly set the pace for the evening with an enthusiastic set of mostly covers performed in a Jim Morrison (Doors) manner by a lively vocalist who was backed by a very competent 3 piece outfit. Last Resort were certainly a First Choice when it came to opening a brilliant evening and the encouragement was evident from the warm response from the assembled crowd.
The smiles on the faces of the audience grew and laughter was heard (people enjoying themselves?) from various points when lunchbox legend Mick Rutherford and his band took to the stage.
This man has the appearance of someone who has been through the Mill many times so to speak from his shaved head and drooping handlebar moustache to his amply proportioned physique crammed into leopard skin tights ! he is certainly a character in every sense.
I have seen Mick many times but never had a chance to listen to him properly and tonight I was delighted to hear that this man can sing and what a voice, a gruff blues honed tone to every song and a lot of tracks from his latest Blues Matters label rendition Are You Ready completed a varied set of well played and very well presented new and classic numbers, oh and what a brilliant guitarist Mick has with him standing in for Carl Axon. Showman ship is alive and strutting in the Mick Rutherford experience and to sum up his style Motorhead meets the Blues.
Finally and for me what was to be a highlight, headlight and a ray of Sunshine from Cornwall, the brilliant Blue on Black. This trio have just finished support slots with Peter Frampton and Deep Purple and I can see why the were picked. Keith Howe although knocked out by a very bad cold virus played a blinding set of blues based rock tracks including a lot of self penned numbers. His guitar playing is stunning and his vocals absolutely superb. The other two members were just as spectacular with once again brilliant musicianship showing from years of experience. The crowd were mesmerised by this band and comments at the end of the night ranged from "where have they been up till now" to "people just dont know what they have missed". This band are destined for big things if the apathy of the music going public evident in some regions does not wear them down. All in all a great value night from the ever stronger Blues Matters stable I can only reiterate that the public must USE venues or LOSE them.

Alan Fish (Egypt)