I’ve had a weird month and haven’t really gotten out much, so figured a night of blues courtesy of Crimson House Blues and friends would be a good way to ease back into things…

It was my first time at one of Mercury’s Bluestown sessions, so I was surprised to see it was a sit-down, candle-lit affair. Tombstone Pete was mid-set when I arrived (another surprise as it meant things had actually started promptly at the advertised time of 8PM) and, as usual, didn’t disappoint, enthralling the crowd with his guitar skills.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge blues fan – I love bluesy stuff but actual ‘woke up this mornin’ blues gets to me after a while… However  the presence of a banjo is pretty much guaranteed to win me over every time – so I was very pleased that one made an appearance. Same goes for the violin, always a welcome addition.

The first set consisted of Crimson House Blues & friends and featured a variety of cool collaborators (including double bassist Anton Marshall, vocalist Doc John and members of Sixgun Gospel on vocals, guitar and, later, harmonica) as well as instrument-swapping.

After a brief interval, Crimson House Blues proper took to the stage and launched into their set. I’m not familiar with their material but enjoyed it, particularly the track about the band’s long road from Nam, which also made me laugh because I automatically associate ‘Nam’ with Vietnam (I blame American movies) and not with our neighbour Namibia…

The energy rose increasingly with the addition of burlesque dancers and the return of the collaborators, and culminated in people rising from their tables to form a mini moshpit, apparently a first for the Bluestown Sessions.

– – –

Crimson House Blues on Facebook  |  Photos on Facebook over here