[unclear: Just] over a week ago, a Wellington [unclear: dience] of about 90 people experienced a [unclear: cert] which, for sheer enjoyment, ranked high as those given in the same city by [unclear: aham] Parker and the Rumour and by Dr [unclear: elgood.]

That's a pretty heavy claim, you may [unclear: nk,] and one that would take some [unclear: tifying] even if made about a gig at the [unclear: wn] Hall by some number one (with a [unclear: llet)] overseas band. It takes a damn sight [unclear: re] justifying if it is made about a gig in [unclear: r] beloved cafetaria on a Friday afternoon a band who've only played together blicly three times, have a drummer whose [unclear: by] played with them for a two hour [unclear: ctise] session, and who go under the likely moniker of the Mangaweka [unclear: aduet] Rhythm 'n' Blues Band.

Rock Celebration

The four hours (nearly!) that the band [unclear: yed] that afternoon, especially the last [unclear: O,] were a celebration of rock music as it [unclear: uld] always be, loud, spontaneous and [unclear: nchy] as fuck. They were a reminder, if [unclear: body] needed one, that styles of music [unclear: d] their practitioners may come and go, [unclear: t] underneath it all you've always got the [unclear: vil's] own music, the blues, and its [unclear: doubtedly] illegitimate child, rock 'n' [unclear: I].

When I say four hours, the band was [unclear: ginally] only meant to play for three, pm 2 to 5 pm, but even if they had wanted finish at 5, and they were enjoying [unclear: mselves] far too much to want to do that, [unclear: re] was no way the audience would have them. After an hour of "encores", [unclear: mmer] Steve Garden, already late for ended the proceedings by having his kit packed away within minutes after the [unclear: d] of the last song, an amazing version of Bone Walker's Stormy Monday Blues, terwards all everybody could do was stand around in little groups burbling in superlatives.

Dougal and Bones

Like all good electric blues bands, the main attack of the Mangaweka foursome comes from the guitarists, Bruce Spier and Darryl Lloyd-Jones, no doubt better known to those outside their immediate families as Dougal and Bones. Both skilled guitarists, Dougal's style is very fluid, controlled and often very mellow, reminiscent at times of Clapton's blues sound, whereas Bones has a penchant for the more searing stuff, occasionally getting into some brain-splitting controlled feedback. The flow is still there though, and he even tosses in the odd jazz chord where appropriate. Solos are shared fairly evenly between the two of them, but when things really get going, there can be brief moments where the two are playing together, trading licks back and forth across stage like musical ping-pong.

Obviously all this carry-on needs to be anchored to some fairly solid foundations, and they are. Their names are Richard Barter and Steve Garden. The former plays bass and is nothing if not solid, while the latter was filling in on drums at last Friday's gig. Steve usually plays for Short Story and had never played on stage with the other three members of the (here goes, deep breath) Mangaweka Viaduct Rhythm 'n' Blues Band until then. Naturally enough, therefore, some of the drumming was a bit rough for the first hour or so, but once he got himself sorted out he ended up leading the rest of them, putting not-too-flashy frills in all the right places and, judging by the ear-to-ear grin he wore throughout the gig, loving every minute of it.

No I haven't forgotten about the vocals. These are handled with due gravel and gusto by Bones, although Dougal helps with harmonies on most songs and sings a few of his own. If he's really enjoying himself Bones sometimes whips out a blues harp and starts wailing on that as well. Needless to say he did so at this gig.

A Mix of Everything

They played their way through a fairly cosmopolitan selection of songs really, everything from slow mournful blues such as Trouble in Mind. Shotgun Blues and the already mentioned Stormy Monday Blues to such recent all-out rockers as Thin Lizzy's Dancing in the Moonlight and George Thorogood and the Destroyer's Move It On Over.

All of it was excellent (as you've no doubt already gathered) but the ones that really stood out were all those I've just mentioned plus amazing versions of Don't You Lie To Me Honey, a Kingfish song called Goodbye Your Honour and Dylan's IShall Be Released and All Along The 'Watchtower. The latter, in fact, was so good, with Bones and Dougal building the whole thing up until it was a huge wave that just had to crash right on top of you and sweep you away, that even poor Jimi must have sat up and taken notice.

Apart from the covers, though, the band did a couple of songs written by Bones that came across equally as well, and also a couple, notably Liberated Lady and Seaway Cabaret, whose lyrics were written by Steve Jenkins, guitarist with the legendary Wellington cult band No Pussy Only Pissy, and which Bones put the music to.

The reasons why the gig was a success, for audience and band, are no doubt many, but the important ones were definitely the spontaneity of the music and the improvising that the blues jams allowed. I mean, these guys were so spontaneous that only Bones had ever heard any of the songs that made up the third set and so took a few minutes out before each one to teach it to the rest of them! The atmosphere created by the four of them, the "what-the-hell-we're-here-to-have-a-good-time" idea (the punk ethos?), helped of course but mainly the gig worked because it wasn't music that had been played over and over by a band until its spirit has been crushed and only an empty carcass remained, this was music that was totally live and alive because it was being born right in front of us. If you missed it, make sure you don't miss it next time.

Mark Wilson.