 | | Tom McRae |
The place erupted as Tom took the stage to perform his first song of the evening. He then proceeded to explain to the crowd that he was going to play one song and then come back on throughout the evening to lend support to the rest of the acts. Strange I thought, Tom’s understated ego is back-pedalling into oblivion. He then explained that he had brought some friends over from America who play regularly at The Hotel Café, a small venue in L.A. where singer songwriters of varying degrees of fame gather to perform some of the best music L.A. has to offer. Tom leaves the stage after performing his first song to rapturous applause to be replaced by the cast of the Beverly Hillbillies! ‘Oh no, we’ve been had,’ I thought, but I needn’t have worried, it was clear from the outset that this was going to be a good night. Although the names of the artist such as Brian Write, Joe Purdy, and the Cary Brothers were new to me, it was clear that they were all excellent musicians as well as good friends, and they had come to party live on stage as well as off it, as Jim Bianco, the Chico character of the group proved when he decided to take to the dance floor to perform an acoustic number surrounded by the crowd. This blistering two and a half hour set of musical highs, humour and friendly camaraderie, all washed down with several bottles of whiskey, ended with Tom inviting all nine members back on stage to perform not one of his songs as you would expect, but a Joe Purdy number which went down a storm. This is a must-see show for anyone who enjoys good music. | 
