Nine Below Zero – Small Stage, Big Blues
The first words of Dennis Greaves, singer/guitarist for Nine Below Zero, in Rheinberg's ‘Schwarzer Adler’ on Sunday were „Ladies & Gentlemen – welcome to John Hurd’s Living Room“. Actually that’s not true, but the hall in Rheinberg was so small it could have been true. As it happens I would have been proud to have the band play in my Living Room – there was never an official ‘Rory Gallagher Band’ as such, but if there had been this would have been it.
‘Riding Shotgun’ is the english title of NBZ bassman Gerry Mc Avoy’s biography. It’s title aptly describing his position for many years playing alongside the legendary Rory Gallagher: Rory was firmly in the driving seat with Mc avoy largely along for the ride, but as the title suggests, watching out for the ‘G’ man. Mc Avoy had to look elsewhere to do his own thing onstage. His autobiography shows him to have been a prime mover in recruiting band members for Rory so it’s not surprising that in his escape from the limitations that playing alongside Gallagher demanded, Mc Avoy should have linked up with Rory’s drummer Brendan O’neill and joined Nine Below Zero.
Brendan O'neill clearly enjoys his work
Having said all that, NBZ is most definitely not the ‘Gerry Mc Avoy Band’. For one thing, The Gallagher contingent joined original NBZ members Dennis Greaves (guitar) and Mark Feltham (Harp) in 1990, long after the band had established a following in British clubs. NBZ are very simply four accomplished musicians who above all still know how to have a good time onstage. They meet small disasters with an experienced laconic eye. An example from Sunday: It’s not often you get to hear a blues harp player onstage these days, and tonights 2+ hour show was to be no exception as Mark Feltham’s harp battery pack seemed to have drained out. A long explanation followed in english that involved mention of all things technical. NBZ are an international band though and Feltham had no trouble translating the problem into German – pointing first at his Harp, then at his microphone and then stating most fluently - “Kaputt !!!”. The result was that to hear one of Europes best exponents of the blues harp meant getting close to stage left and leaning forward everytime Feltham raised his arms. It was worth it!.
McAvoy and Feltham
There was so much good music that picking anything out would be unfair. I’ve heard ‘Woolly Bully’ many a time from many a band and still have no idea what it’s about – but it’s a crowd pleaser with it’s ‘singalongathinkaboutnothinginparticular’ style. ‘Hoochie Coochie Coo’ also gets top marks on this level, as does 'Down By The River' (not the old Neil Young classic I should add). Mark Feltham had enough volume problems without having to compete with people talking loudly over his harp solo (‘Take them out and shoot them’ say I!) but otherwise NBZ had the audience in their hands from first note to last, with Irishmen Mc Avoy and O’Neill even managing to smile whilst signing ‘England’ baseball caps after the show.
It was great to see Gerry McAvoy again and as he signed the bands latest DVD/CD I wanted to tell him what he and Rory meant to me over the years – “Thank you for the music” is what came out. Not very original I know – but appropriately from the heart, for a band that still plays from the heart.
My thanks to Peter at Julian Sas.de for getting me there(and back!): JulianSas
More about Nine Below Zero: NineBelowZero
Photogallery from the show:
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