Unless you’re reviewing Dom for the first time, one of the difficulties is in searching for superlatives that you haven’t used before. He held this audience in the palms of his talented hands from the first notes of his 85-minute set until the last. I suspect that the majority of those present will, like me, be back for more when he plays at The Water Rats on Friday 8th November.

Dom started the set playing solo acoustic and the official setlist suggested that three such numbers were planned; unfortunately a broken string during the second song necessitated a rapid re-think. Neither solo song was introduced, but ‘The Easy Blues’ and ‘Haunted’ were listed (although I could have sworn that I heard a burst of ‘Jelly Roll Baker’ in there at one point.

With bass and drums on board a little earlier than planned, Dom played ‘Daylight I Will Find’ on what looked and sounded like a National Steel guitar, before tearing into ‘Belfast Blues’ (both from his most recent album ‘Buried In The Hail’, 2023). On this latter song he mined a groove which reminded me briefly of the mesmeric effect and vaguely malevolent feel of a classic John Lee Hooker boogie; stirring stuff!

Dom went for an extended walk through his audience before concluding ‘Belfast Blues’ with a fine slide solo. How to follow that? Easy; play a long, slow and very Bluesy Blues from ‘A Savage Life’ (2022) in ‘Blues On The Bay’ and follow it with something to keep all the Rory Gallagher fans happy… ‘Messin’ With The Kid’ has been associated with Rory for over fifty years (since ‘Live! In Europe’, 1972), although Muddy Waters played it for many years before that, including alongside its composer, harpist Junior Wells.

The strength of his own material means that Dom can now include as much or as little of Rory in his set as he wishes (his busy touring schedule has earned him that right); tonight it was just that one song, but I rather doubt that anyone felt short-changed. He returned to his latest album for a rockier ‘Unhinged’, maintaining that pace for ‘12 Gauge’, which featured some more fine slide work.

To conclude the fun Dom delved back into ‘A Savage Life’ for ‘Maxwell Shuffle’, which has developed into an extended set closer of a medley. Dom played a long inventive solo before shining the spotlight on bass and drums in turn, as the medley incorporated ‘Moby Dick’ (from ‘Led Zeppelin II’, 1969), ‘Let’s Get Funky’ (from Hound Dog Taylor & The House Rockers’ ‘Beware Of The Dog!’, 1976) and ‘Dixie Black Hand’ (which appeared on Dom’s ‘Spain To Italy’ album in 2019).

I took a mate along with me whose only previous experience of Dom had been at the same venue, when he played a solo acoustic set of Rory’s songs in support of the Band Of Friends. Suffice it to say that my mate has now joined Dom’s own, rapidly increasing band of friends and followers. I’ll see you at the Water Rats; bring a friend!

Setlist:

The Easy Blues; Haunted; Daylight I Will Find; Belfast Blues; Blues On The Bay; Messin’ With The Kid; Unhinged; 12 Gauge; Maxwell Shuffle/Moby Dick/ Let’s Get Funky/Dixie Black Hand.

Gary Smith

Photos: Chris Griffiths