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Boisdale : Speakeasy Blues Opening 25/02/2020

Those savvy people at Boisdale, who just happen to run four smashing venues in the capital,have given their Bishopsgate branch a slight revamp.Yes folks they have got another mule in their stall! They have ditched the dinner jazz for some gut bucket,barrell blues and have turned the basement into a speakeasy.A den of iniquity it might well turn out to be!

Curator for the evening,Radio presenter and Blues musician, Paul Jones, led proceedings and played mean harmonica too, with the house band.Joining him was Brixton's finest, Erroll Linton no slouch in that department either, giving us some fine Mississippi Delta blues of the Thirties and Chicago blues of the Fifties.The place was packed with luminary musicians too, that included Mica Paris,Omar, Jools Holland's bassist, Dave Swift, Bowie sideman,Earl Slick and former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock.

This was an impressive array and a perfect vehicle for the talented blues singer Acantha Lang to step forward into the fray.This evocative vocalist, with shades of Aretha in her tone and phrasing, definitely turned heads with her 'Evil Gal Blues'.
Her future looks bright as does the revamp.Taking a leaf out of Ain't Nothing But The Blues' is a handsome idea and one that should pay off as they indubitably know the blues are the roots and the other music are the fruits. Check out their website to see who's on and don't forget to try their incredible range of whisky and get a blues rebirth into the bargain.

PHOTO BY KIND PERMISSION OF BOISDALE
Words Emrys Baird