Tonight:
5°c
André Paine's rating
, Audience really feeling Seasick
By
André Paine
30 Oct 2007
At 67, Seasick Steve's become a minor sensation in Britain, while his native America ignored his tremendous hobo blues. "This country opened its arms up to me," his southern drawl informed us at the first of two sell-out Scala shows.
After shaking as many hands as possible, he launched into his solo performance, rarely leaving his chair but possessed by violent rhythms as he stomped a foot and wrestled with a battered three-string guitar. Even his bushy beard seemed to twitch to the sly riffs on Cut My Wings.
Steve was just as much a storyteller as a musician, though, regaling us with funny tales about his guitar and itinerant life, and a more shocking account of his violent step-daddy during the howling Dog House Boogie.
The fans responded delightedly to this dungaree-wearing former vagrant, as if he were a favourite wayward uncle.
"It's a little worrying when more men scream," he chuckled when he took his shirt off.
But he had a magnetic appeal for the ladies, too: the girl who was serenaded looked smitten and there was even a bra thrown on stage for his encore.
Expect even more hysteria when Seasick Steve plays the Astoria in January.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (1)
Seasick Steve at the Albert Hall - 1 October 2008
Rather to my surprise, Seasick Steve and his music were not lost in the Albert Hall. Either on his own or with an assortment of musicians and backing singers, he filled the place with a great deal of simple sound. And he's a funny guy, too
He changed instrument for every song, usually guitars with decreasing numbers of strings. Then he had a crude contraption given to him which he held up to the audience.
"This here's a diddly bow. It's got one string and can of corn at one end..." pause, "and that's about it."
There was a longer pause as he allowed the audience to study it.
"Hope y'alls not going to be disappointed."
We weren't.
As if to emphasise the simplicity of his instruments he carried the diddly bow forward and beat time by hitting it on the stage until it fell to pieces. He was Townsend and Moon together playing hobo music. Fantastic.
If you have yet to be convinced, have a go at listening to some more. The title track of the latest CD is a good place to start, "I started out with nothin and I still got most of it left."
- Dicky C, Newbury, Berks, 02/10/2008 10:48
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