Jay Tamkin Band
Photos by Alan White at The John Paul Jones Tavern, Whitehaven
Friday 29th May 2009
Review by Duncan Beattie at The Fletcher Christian Tavern, Cockermouth
Saturday 30th May 2009
www.jaytamkinband.com

A glorious day in the Lake District saw the Jay Tamkin band play their final date of a short northern tour in Cockermouth. The opening groovy instrumental demonstrated that Jay, bass player Pete Searle and drummer Nick Ramos Pinto are a very tight and fluid unit. Jay’s progress as a songwriter was apparent too as the first four songs of the set were tracks that do not feature on his debut album “Sorted”. These included the up tempo ‘Baby Right My Wrongs’, “You Left Me” in which Jay played out an argument with his guitar lines and ‘You Gave Me The Blues’, a song that highlights Jay’s impressive vocal prowess. 

A duo of album tracks ‘You Got A Reason’ and the slow blues of ‘I Remember When’ followed. The fast fretwork of the former contrasts with the latter, which Jay played with some real feeling, and the delicate use of notes. “You Got The Heart” showed some impressive finger work on the lapjack before the shuffle ‘Troubles’ and rockier ‘Tomorrow’. Jay’s self-penned tracks are very strong with great hooks and melodies. The band then played a superb cover of Freddie King’s ‘Same Old Blues’ with narration before my favourite ‘Livin’ And Learnin’ in which Jay switches cleverly between guitar and keyboards. Jay’s version of ‘Hey Joe,’ performed on request, was a great new slant on an old song as was the storming closer Talk To Your Daughter. On this performance Jay made some good friends in the North, who I’m certain will be coming out in numbers to see his appearances at the Maryport Festival at the end of July.

Many thanks to Duncan Beattie for the review.
Alan White, earlyblues.com