Reviews

The idea was simple enough; take a much-respected elder and mix in the modern day to come up with something deliciously intoxicating. The reality was quite different.

This was a concert served in courses, with the starter a simple slice of Bert. Wandering on stage with his guitar in one hand and his pint in the other, he perched uncomfortably at the front of the stage and launched into “a bit of blues to get me livened up.”

Bert Jansch (pic: Shirlaine Forrest)

Jansch is from the back-room school of folk, made for intimacy, and he remained slightly unsure of the sheer size of the venue. Thankfully, that didn’t stop him rolling out beautiful takes on Blackwater Side, Strolling Down The Highway and a particularly enthralling Rosemary Lane, his John Martyn-esque slurred timbre resonating over his beguiling guitar play to hypnotic effect.

The main course was always going to be the arrival of his guests though. The stick-thin, understated Bernard Butler was first to join and first to show the potential error in the mix.

For two songs, he strummed along, his electric guitar jarring with Jansch’s acoustic as he struggled to keep himself in check. Indeed, only on the powerful protest song, Poison, when he was allowed to unleash and lead did his presence truly make sense.

Bert Jansch (pic: Shirlaine Forrest)

Better suited was the unbilled but superb Paul Wassif, who brought out an impressive slide guitar and Bert’s rocking side, from the slow burn of the Black Cat Blues to the well-loved and wonderful Blues Run The Game, which took two false re-tuned starts to get going before it hit its thrilling stride.

That passed, it was back to a solo interlude before everything went very, very wrong with the arrival of Beth Orton. The songstress seemed intent to steal the spotlight from her host and proceeded to not only take lead vocals for the four final songs, including both from the encore, but also irritatingly giggle like a schoolgirl at anything that happened.

As a result, the much anticipated dessert, a four part guitar harmony that included the return of both Butler and Wassif, struggled to stay the right side of cacophony as Orton’s voice and over-strummed acoustic stomped ungainly over the trio around her.

As recipes go, this was more Heston Blumenthal than Delia Smith, and while it was good to see Jansch still making a play for the cutting edge, next time he’d be better off leaving the overpowering Orton off the menu.