Given that Sunday evenings can be a bit on the quiet side, it was a surprise to discover that the reasonably priced tickets covered not two, but three bands. Perhaps less of a surprise, though, that the first band played to a relatively small number of listeners.

PM Warson (guitar & vocals) was accompanied by a rhythm guitarist, bassist, drummer, tenor saxophonist and backing vocalist; when you’re third on the bill and splitting your fee six ways, that really does suggest dedication to the music. The early birds seemed to enjoy the seven songs, most of which were taken from the albums ‘Dig Deep Repeat’ (2022) and ‘A Little More Time’ (2024); the two exceptions were the singles ‘(Don’t) Hold Me Down’ and ‘Every Day (Every Night)’, which date back to 2019 and 2020 respectively. Difficult to pigeon hole the band’s style, but I didn’t really hear the Blues, Soul or R ‘n B influences that I’d read about online.

Next up was Seafoam Green, performing on the night as a duo comprising Dave O’Grady (guitar & vocals) and Muireann McDermott Long (vocals). Definite folk and Americana influences, with half the set highlighting the pair’s latest digital EP ‘Pack The Weight’, which features a guest appearance by Ronnie Wood.

The band has also worked with Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes (on ‘Topanga Mansion’, 2016, from which the closing ‘Runaway’ was taken) and Derek Trucks (one track on ‘Martin’s Garden’, 2021) and you don’t pull in names like those unless you can play. O’Grady’s gruff, careworn vocals reminded me in turn a little of Dom Martin’s solo acoustic gigs, but also of John Martyn and Tom Waits. Six songs didn’t allow time for much variation in light and shade, so I’d be interested in hearing more; perhaps the band with a rhythm section and the occasional song featuring an O’Grady solo.

GA-20 has changed two thirds of its personnel since its previous UK visit, with Matthew Stubbs the only constant; Cody Nilsen and drummer Josh Kiggans have replaced Pat Flaherty and Tim Carman. The core sound remains unchanged, however, based as it is on the two guitars and drums line-up favoured by Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers. The current lineup has just released an EP titled ‘Volume 2’, but there was plenty of back catalogue for the new members to get to grips with, as the earlier incarnation of GA-20 had released four albums and two more EPs between 2019 and 2023.

The two guitarists take turns to play bass lines under each other’s solos, with Nilsen handling most of the vocals and Stubbs taking the lion’s share of the guitar solos in the first half of the set. The opener ‘Cut You Loose’ (from the ‘Live Vol. 1’ EP, 2020) was followed by the as yet unrecorded ‘I’ll Change My Style’, which was played at close to ballad tempo. ‘Lonely Soul’ (the title track from the 2019 debut album) and ‘I Let Someone In’ (from ‘Live In Loveland’, 2023) took us through Rockabilly to somewhere far Bluesier.

‘Fairweather Friend’ and ‘Dry Run’ both came from ‘Crackdown’ (2021), with the latter sounding particularly radio friendly, so I hope it got some airplay. Nilsen then changed guitars to play some fine slide on the Hound Dog pair of ‘Give Me Back My Wig’ and ‘She’s Gone’ (both from ‘Try It… You Might Like It!’, 2021). He followed this with ‘I’m Leaving You Now’ as a solo tribute to Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Stubbs was back to the fore for the instrumental title track from ‘Crackdown’, followed by ‘My Baby Is Sweeter’ (from ‘Live In Loveland’). That live album also provided ‘Hold It One More Time’, which featured both guitarists and some heavy drums, before Seafoam Green joined the fun to provide backing vocals for ‘I Don’t Mind’ (from ‘Volume 2’), which had earlier associations with both James Brown (in 1961) and The Who (in 1965).

Stubbs then recounted how the GA-20 was formed out of necessity when, as Charlie Musselwhite’s guitarist, he was advised that he wouldn’t be needed for at least a year while the harpist toured with Ben Harper’s band. As if to remind his bandmate of that temporary “redundancy”, Nilsen then embarked on an extended guitar solo walkabout (encompassing both floors of the venue!) as the band gave us ‘Stranger Blues’ and ‘Cryin’ & Pleadin’ (both from ‘Volume 2’), with ‘Sitting At Home Alone’ (from ‘Try It…’) sandwiched in between.

I got the impression that this last setlist of the tour may have been extended as the band let its collective hair down, concluding with ‘Just One More Time’ and a pair of songs from ‘Crackdown’, ‘Easy On The Eyes’ and the encore ‘By My Lonesome’.

Post-gig merch sales seemed to be brisk and the band sounded hopeful of a return to these shores in a few months’ time, so let’s do it all again soon!

Gary Smith

Photos: Bruce Biege

Setlists:

GA – Cut You Loose; I’ll Change My Style; Lonely Soul; I Let Someone In;
Fairweather Friend; Dry Run; Give Me Back My Wig; She’s Gone; I’m
Leaving You Now; Crackdown; My Baby Is Sweeter; Hold It One More
Time; I Don’t Mind; Strange Blues; Sitting At Home Alone; Cryin’ &
Pleadin’; Just One More Time; Easy On The Eyes; By My Lonesome.

SG – Small Town Love; Better For You; Honey; Pack The Weight; Hiss;
Runaway.

PMW – Dig Deep; Out Of Mind; Win Or Lose; Right Here, Last Night; (Don’t)
Hold Me Down; Every Day (Every Night); Leaving Here.