Words and Pictures: Louise Phillips
There was a real buzz in the Boileroom in leafy Guildford as the packed audience waited for legendary Bluesman Troy Redfern to take to the stage! Redfern who bears more than a passing resemblance to Johnny Deep’s character Captain Jack Sparrow, has been causing a buzz on the UK Blues scene for years! And as he took to the stage with his gloriously catchy opening track, ‘All Night Long’, from his new album, ‘Invocation’ after which the tour is named, the venue erupted into excited applause!! His 2023 single, ‘Getaway’ soon followed. A stark contrast to the previous track, but with Redfern’s ‘singing’ guitar, it went down an absolute storm!!
Never a man to play it safe, Redfern’s new album, ‘Invocation’ is a bold step into uncharted territory for the much-loved bluesman, and tonight he showcased a new exciting eclectic sound that he beautifully blended with his signature dirty blues! Each track an absolute masterpiece of ferocious slide guitar and Redfern’s raw gritty vocals. Tracks like ‘Voodoo Priestess’ and ‘Van Helsing’ were catchy as hell with pounding drums courtesy of the brilliant skinsman Nicky Waters and punchy basslines from the captivating Keira Kenworthy! Redfern has created the ultimate dream team, three incredibly talented musicians who effortlessly bounce off each other, each track so tight it’s like there’s some kind of telepathic wizardry going on! It doesn’t get tighter than this!
One of the best tracks of the night was the beautiful, 2024 single, ‘The Calling’, which was absolutely spellbinding and went down an absolute storm with the already ecstatic crowd! ‘Native’ was another stand out track that left the audience enchanted! Another track from ‘Invocation’ where Redfern’s vocals really came into their own. It’s the kind of track that wouldn’t be out of place as the theme tune to a Hollywood western blockbuster, given that ‘blow your head off’ edge by Redfern’s swaggering slide guitar!
‘Sweet Carolina’ was funky as hell, and had the audience singing along and dancing like their lives depended on it. With Kenworthy’s funky basslines and Waters punchy drums, and littered with searing guitar solos from the man himself, it was pinch me good!
So, if tonight performance is anything to go by, then ‘Invocation’ is Redfern’s best work by far, it’s like a full on, full throttle roller-coaster careering down the rocky road of blues, full of twists and turns and the kind of visceral tracks that iconic albums are made of!! So is Redfern finally flying down the road to superstardom after all these years?! If tonight’s performance is anything to go by, then I think it’s in the bag!!
Setlist:
All Night Long,
Getaway,
Van Helsing,
Take Me High,
The Fever,
The Calling,
Native,
Ghosts,
Sweet Carolina,
Come On,
Down,
Voodoo Priestess,
Waiting For Your Love,
Scantify
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