Fighting the corner for the local guys!

Well - I've been going to the Sunday teatime sessions at Fletchers for quite some time now and seen some pretty good bands from all over the country, but the last few weeks have seen audiences depleted somewhat in the back bar of the Cockermouth pub - but yesterday I turned up to a pretty full house - standing room only and even then it was elbows tucked firmly in! The band was Sidewinder - a three piece Cockermouth blues power trio - doing a gig on home turf!

From the first opening riff of "How many more lies" it was obvious that they weren't going to take any prisoners - full on, in-your-face blues rock. Sidewinder care about their sound - the small PA system made the band sound enormous - guitarist Mike's weird Strat has a full, fat sound through his Fender amp and the backroom boys (bass and drums) sat in nicely providing the launching pad! On then at a cracking pace with "Smoking Gun", a nicely loose funked version of BB King's "The Thrill is Gone" and then - well I couldn't believe my ears - a slow plaintive adaptation of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". Never having heard it quite like this before it was good to hear a couple in the audience commenting that it sounded like that's how it could have been written!

Then a couple of songs I've never heard before - certainly not typical blues numbers but nicely bluesy - it's nice to hear new takes on the genre - Mark Selby's "Blind Since Birth" and Boz Scaggs' "King of El Paso showing some nice restraint where other bands might have gone full out. It seems Sidewinder like to take their chances - another song which Mike announced as one they'd learned on the way to the gig - in separate cars? - was a nicely chugging boogie - great feel and what could have been a dodgy end slotting together nicely - the audience certainly warming to the band now and giving due applause to three guys obviously enjoying the day.

First set was wrapped up nicely with a mix of Cream/Clapton numbers and then a funky as chuff "Rambling on my Mind".

Following a well earned break they guys started where they left off - "Spoonful", "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Highway 61 Revisited" - complete with Hammond Organ effect on guitar giving way to a wonderfully executed "Need Your Love So Bad". The middle section was taken down and down in volume such that audience were whispering in reverence, then exploding to a massive wall of sound finish - mighty stuff!

From there on in it was in-your-face blues rock till the final "Hi Heel Sneakers" had the audience eating out of their collective hands.

An encore of Sean Webster"s "Music" followed by a deliciously swinging "T-Bone Shuffle" left the lads and audience alike tired and emotional.

Nice to see the interplay between the band and the audience too - cracking with them like it was just a normal conversation but still remaining in charge!

Having chatted to the band afterwards to find a little bit more about them - it appears they're playing at the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival at Colne in August - so look out Colne - they're coming to get you!

RJ