Blues Pills last album, ‘Lady In Gold’, got to #1 in the German album charts and also led them through the vast majority of the European continent. Known for powerful and jam laden live performances, the band keeps growing their fanbase, and on October 30th, 2016, they played a sold-out show in front of 1200 euphoric fans at Le Trianon in Paris, France. Here they showcased their chart-breaking second album in all its glory, but with even more power and a much rawer, more rock ’n’ roll edge to it. I love these guys, there is a sense of honesty and realism in what they do, with a singer who is always on the edge and a band that is full of swagger and self-belief.
In many ways, it is as if Big Brother & The Holding Company have joined forces with Stone The Crows, and a staunch refusal to accept that it is the 21st Century. The bass sound is so deep that one can sit back and relax into the notes like an armchair, while the drummer is determined to make his presence felt and the guitars are distorted to just the right level, and the organist shows he has been studying the greats and doesn’t overplay when there is no need. And then of course there is Elin Larsson, who has absolutely nothing in common with the plastic “idols” of the current music scene, but must have grown up singing “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz, My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends”. Only for those who love the Seventies, when music was real.