By Juan Fitzgerald & friend (pics Juan)
Uptown Harmonica Blues to downtown Reggae were on offer at Jumpin Hot Club on Friday & perfect for a warm summer evening . What’s not to like really, when Errol Linton & his band comes, all the way up north from Brixton, South London. Yes, the sun always shines . Errol in a dazzling pork pie hat & suit took to the stage effortlessly at Gosforth Civic Hall and straight into some light swingy & rollocking Chicago blues and duelling with his effervescent & lively guitarist Ritchey Green, who was superb all night & Wilko Johnson like in his actions . Ritchey creating sparing licks that filled the room, backed by the constant beat of Erroll’s regular drummer Gary Williams, some mighty fine piano, keyboards by Pete Zivkovic & an acoustic Bass guitarist sitting in, who never missed a beat all night . The classy music went from rockin blues & Sonny Boy blues to Rootsy & almost Ska reggae. Maybe his most successful number “Packing My Bags” reflects his upbringing in Brixton with his parents being the Windrush generation coming from Jamaica in 1959. ” Packing my bags on the plane & I’m gone” . A newish tune “ Country Girl” from his latest album finally made the audience come alive & dancing was witnessed towards the end of the show, & indeed for the rest of a brilliant night. It was made all the better as the support act was Scott and Michael from the King Bees. They are an acoustic country blues duo that would be hard pressed to surpass, even doing some hill country music & a James Hunter tune, which of course , went down a storm with the older Jumpin Hotter’s .
In a recent interview Errol Linton mentioned he survived lockdown by doing some portrait painting and doing his music in between . His art is well worth checking out too.
