If you like a mixture of certainties and surprises, then a Dom Martin gig is just what you need! It’s a certainty that you’ll get a great show and go home satisfied, but it’s a surprise that you can still hear Dom in a venue as small as The Water Rats. Perhaps the venue holds good memories for him or maybe the venue or promoter helped him in his earlier days on the road, but I think you could possibly have sold the room out twice.

Dom’s pulling power will be tested a little more next year on 29th January when he returns to London to headline at Dingwalls, a gig which had only just been announced; on this evidence I’d be surprised if The Water Rats audience didn’t all come back for more.

A second surprise was that, unlike his 100 Club gig in the Summer, the show did not include a solo acoustic opening; this may be due to the recent announcement of a short acoustic tour for next Spring (concluding at The Half Moon in Putney on 9th May).

So it was heads down, plugged in and full steam ahead from the start, with a strong emphasis on songs from the most recent album ‘Buried In The Hail’ (2023), including the opening ‘Unhinged’. There was a brief dip into ‘A Savage Life’ (2022) for ‘Unsatisfied’, before Dom reverted to the latest release for the next pair. ‘Both Daylight I Will Find’ and ‘Belfast Blues’ featured the leader’s stunning slide work, underpinned by the rock solid rhythm section of Ben Graham and Aaron McLaughlin, which already feels like it has been a team for years.

‘Hell For You’ was dedicated to psychos everywhere, with Dom joking “I know you’re out there”; hopefully the same wasn’t true of the following ‘Lefty 2 Guns’, as it was written about a hitman! ‘Howlin’ was written in memory of Howlin’ Wolf and many of us would agree with Dom’s view that The Wolfman’s music could usefully be made available on prescription.

That dedication led us neatly into a great series of cover versions, which began with a pair associated with the late, great Rory Gallagher. ‘Railway And Gun’ first appeared in Taste’s ‘On The Boards’ (1970) (although Dom also recorded it on ‘Live At The Harlington’, 2021), while ‘Used To Be’ was the opening track on Rory’s own sophomore album ‘Deuce’ (1971). A lovely take on ‘Little Wing’ (from Jimi’s 1967 debut ‘Axis: Bold As Love’) was followed by ‘Crazy’ (written by Willie Nelson, but probably more associated with Patsy Cline) and ‘Spoonful’ (from Cream’s 1966 debut ‘Fresh Cream’). Quite apart from anything else, Dom’s superb playing highlighted how timeless that music is, even five decades or more after it was written.

Before I could even wonder how Dom might follow those songs, he eased into the bluesiness of ‘Blues On The Bay’ (from ‘A Savage Life’), which, for me, was the highlight ‘of the set. As a closer Dom reached back to his earliest recordings, with ‘Dixie Black Hand’ (from ‘Spain To Italy’, 2019) extended by incorporating ‘Mercy’ from his debut EP (‘Easy Way Out’, 2018). Wonderful stuff!

Everyone was well satisfied already, but we weren’t about to turn down an encore romp through ‘12 Gauge’ (from ‘A Savage Life’) and Dom was happy to indulge our greedy ears with several more minutes of pure joy.

As if the 2025 gigs weren’t enough to whet our appetites for more, Dom will release a double live album before Christmas, so you’ll know what to ask Santa for!

Dom Martin’s career is gathering pace and his live performances go from strength to strength; catch him as soon and as often as you can because you won’t regret it.

Gary Smith

Photos: Tim Russell

Setlist:

Unhinged; Unsatisfied; Daylight I Will Find; Belfast Blues; Hell For You; Lefty 2 Guns; Howlin’; Railway And Gun; Used To Be; Little Wing; Crazy; Spoonful; Blues On The Bay; Dixie Black Hand/Mercy; 12 Gauge.