“Put it where you want it…“
Saturday was a beautiful day, in these parts. 30 minutes away and fifty years backwards, the Average White Band were on in the Picturedrome, Holmfirth. I’ve written before on my reasons for taking every last-chance-to-see concert opportunity. No-one disappoints: never, not nowadays, when touring is actually more lucrative than album sales. Two out of six original members isn’t bad: remember they started out from Dundee in 1972.
What a concert! Funky soul grooves, a lead singer with the range of Marvin Gaye -and just as much power – singing all those great tunes. Early highlights were; ‘I Just Can’t Give You Up’ [always start strong], ‘Person to Person’ and ‘Cloudy’. The first of their three covers was The Isley Brothers’ ‘Work to Do’, a song it takes a great deal of cojones to perform live and they did it well. Other covers included ‘Walk on By’ (beautiful) and The Crusaders’ ‘Put It Where You Want It’ – a song long associated with AWB. In addition, ‘Atlantic Avenue’ included a brief snatch of ‘Girl From Ipanema’.
The newest member of this incarnation of the band, Cliff Lyons (alto sax) has been playing with them for nine years. Fred Vigdor, on the tenor sax, has been with them since 1996. These guys are not blow-in guns-for-hire and it shows. A special mention for lead vocalist and chief cheerleader Brent Carter, he was outstanding.
Onnie and Alan were fabulous, experienced musicians at the top of their game, Gorrie’s vocals were on the money.
The encore made it very special for me:
Schoolboy Crush [Get that released now if you can]
Let’s Go Round Again [Never seen a crowd sing the chorus so long and so loud, I’m still Nijinsky – I mean ho(a)rse].
Pick Up The Pieces [What else?]
It was their last ever UK concert, I’m so glad we were there. AWB have got the Newport Music Fest and a couple of others to go on the other side of the pond, where they’ve always been much more loved than here, I suppose. Good luck with whatever they do next.
Photos © T Y Lawrie
Ewan Lawrie, Writer 