Bob Lees Memorial Charity Concert “Rockin' For Bob”

(This year jointly dedicated to Gerald Coley) in Aid of

The Artis Pet Sanctuary Balby Doncaster

I had the very great pleasure of attending this charity event by invitation from Steve Corbett of The Fandango Brothers . I was very surprised by the venue at The Corner Pocket Snooker Club, Mexborough as it was a spacious concert room yet had an excellent atmosphere.

This concert is organised every year by Mexborough photographer and lyricist Duncan Mangham in memory of Bob Lees , the Doncaster live music fan and animal lover who lost his life aged 39.The bands and fans know this concert as “Rockin' For Bob.” The clientele were a very appreciative and knowledgeable crowd. The longer I stayed the more surprised I was. When I found out more about the reasons for the gig, I felt very humble. I would like to make it clear that I was pleased to pay the modest £4:50 at the door for such a noble cause. Duncan Mangham should be applauded for his dedication.

The Fandango Brothers had already started their set of what is actually Texas Blues, or a ZZ Top tribute in the main. The Fandangos play their music very authentically and the bearded ones themselves I'm sure would be excited if they heard them play. They are good, no two ways about it. Their version of Gimme All Your Lovin was top notch! The Brothers also play tunes by other artists and their rendition of Brown Sugar was fantastic with the twin guitars and the vocals from the bands bassist, Chris Howard.

The second ZZ Top number was a brilliant boogie groove which I believe is called La Grange . The Fandango Brothers had the groove absolutely perfect. I adore this great Texas Boogie! Then keeping in the ZZ vein, the Brothers ran through the 1984 hit, Sharp Dressed Man featuring “Chillo” (Mark Angelis) on vocals and the spirited guitar work shared between Les Paul players, Chillo and Steve Corbett. I was extremely impressed with the band's German percussionist, Andreas Moser on this number which attracted a solitary air guitarist to the floor! The band were really steaming by this time but time was against them so their final number, the Jimi Hendrix classic Voodoo Chile , heralded it's beginning by the Wah Wah flavoured intro. What a great version this was and a superb finale to a great set by the Fandango Brothers.They were brilliant.

The main band soon set up and rolled on into the very late evening. This Band is called Red Herring and is mainly a rock-orientated band. Their music was brilliant however and these excellent musicians did not ignore the blues. Their first incursion into blues territory was the song made popular by Rory Gallagher in his Taste days. This was the twelve-bar, Same Old Story . It's funny how a twelve-bar can progress, it doesn't have to be a Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson style. This song with the repetitive riff is very listenable and like all Rory's work, it is a reworked style of blues. Iain Hearfield plays his Sunburst Fender Stratocaster exceptionally well and the quality of the rhythm section, featuring Howard Evans on a huge drum kit and Dave Samuel on a rare Vigier bass was exceptional. The tone was spot on with pinched harmonics to add more interest. Great stuff!

As the set rolled on, I thought I could detect a slight influence from the Canadian band Rush (I could be wrong) but the blues fans were again catered for with the inclusion of a marvellous version of Albert King's Born Under a Bad Sign . I was very impressed by this song. Also in the blues area the band's last foray was the rocky blues Rory Gallagher song Shadowplay . This highly entertaining and versatile band eventually retired from the stage to allow a “scratch band “ to jam. This was one of the reasons I came to see the gig as I had been told of a guy by the name of Steve Firth , the one time singer/guitarist with the relatively famous South Yorkshire band, Mule Sweat .

The scratch band comprised of Steve Firth and members of The Atlantics, Chris Howard and Lee White, from another new band emerging from the musically rich seam of talent which appears to run between Doncaster and Sheffield ! I sat with Raw Gallagher's singer/guitarist Steve White as he explained there were more musicians than fans in Mexborough! I can believe that too. The scratch band went straight into the blues staple, Stormy Monday and it quickly became apparent that Steve Firth didn't just have a good voice, he had one to die for! Seriously, this man has a brilliant voice, gravelly, soulful, in fact the perfect blues voice. His guitar playing is also worthy of note, that's great too! The band had a very pleasant sounding harp player and to make things complete on the night, the air guitarist on the dance floor suddenly became an air harmonica player! I am reliably informed that he can actually play any instument!!!

The band played a cracking version of Before You Accuse Me with Fandango Brothers bassist Chris Howard taking the vocals on a number normally attributed to Eric Clapton (the younger fans) and Bo Diddley (The more senior fans). Thank you Duncan Mangham for correcting me on this point!

Blues jams are just magic, don't you think? The band carried on with a Country blues number, the title of which passed me by, then the Lynyrd Skynyrd (I'll learn how to spell this one day) Sweet Home Alabama echoed around the Corner Pocket's concert room. Considering this was a jam, the quality of playing was brilliant! Steve Firth took the vocals on this song then pulled off a remarkable version of Freebird …. wow,in fact double wow! What a finale!

The gig proved to be a real eye opener for me. Is it like this all over the country? I can hardly believe that there is so much talent in a small South Yorkshire town, an area devastated by the decline of the mining industry. Maybe this has something to do with it, who knows. The point is, this was a great gig with excellent musicians. It would be nice to see some of these artists nationwide. In fact it is a crime that they are not.

Steve Lally ©