Robin Trower is the guitarist’s guitarist, demonstrated by so many other professional guitarists forming this enrapt audience for this London gig. Tonight, this historic venue was large enough to showcase Robin’s awesome talent, yet intimate enough for his followers to feel up close and personal with this living legend. Trower has a wonderful unique musicality, with his set full of extended solos, each haunting, and technically full of finger arpeggio and virtuoso playing.

I was enraptured too, at a masterclass performance given by a true guitar maestro. Robin’s quiet stage presence focuses on his fingers. He is fit, totally in tune, and at one with his Fender Stratocaster, as we duly witnessed a set comprising elements of Rock, Blues Rock, Prog Rock, Indie and Neo-Classical. Indeed, to score Robin’s complexity of notes, would also require considerable transpositional skill!

This former Procol Harum guitarist’s style harks back to Hendrix, although Trower has defined his own guitar genre and style with sharply honed originality. Robin’s sound was spellbinding, with his extensive set list including amongst others, ‘The Razor’s Edge’, ‘Too Rolling Stoned’, ‘Distant Places of the Heart’, ‘Someone Calling’, ‘Daydream’, his classic ‘Bridge of Sighs’, ‘It’s Too Late’ and ‘Little Bit of Sympathy’.

Trower’s band supported him and let him shine. Richard Watts was cool on bass, as well as rich and raw on vocals. Indeed, Richard was so cool that I wanted his microphone sound and volume turned up, as Watts' vocality would have further enhanced for me the meaning of each song! Chris Taggart’s nicely paced drumming did not also overpower Robin’s powerful fourteen-strong set including encores of 'Rise Up Like The Sun' and 'Birdsong'. With his haunting guitar riffs still ringing in my ears, to see Robin Trower this evening was an awesome experience. Highly recommended!

Review and Photos: Denise Lester