Currently riding a creatively formidable wave following the release this March via Provogue/Mascot Label Group of his latest, raucous, wild and poignant twelve-track album, 'Broken', Blues-Rock icon Walter Trout completed his eight-date Broken UK tour with special guest Laura Evans at London's Islington Assembly Hall on Friday night.

The last time we saw Country Blues singer/songwriter Laura Evans supporting Robert Jon & The Wreck at London's The Garage, we described Aberdare's finest as a "ray of Welsh sunshine". Indeed this was just two months before she released her critically acclaimed UK Blues chart topping eleven-track debut album 'State Of Mind', that featured Cardinal Black lead guitarist Chris Buck, no less.

Stepping into Buck's size nine's tonight, and cutting a solitary seated figure on stage, playing a neat foot tappin' acoustic intro, was flat capped, bespectacled and moustachioed, Will Edmunds. His red jump-suited partner then joined him on stage with a powerful opening vocal on 'Gone', in a short but sweet half hour set, that understandably mainly drew from Evans' debut album. Although an outstanding Country Blues cover of Chris Stapleton's 'Arkansas', was nicely sandwiched in between two more tracks from 'State Of Mind', namely 'Fire With Fire' and 'Fool', the latter of which showcased Laura's Country roots with a delightful vocal.

Similarly, her Blues cover of Bonnie Raitt's beautiful 'Love Me Like A Man' was again another delicious meat in the sandwich, between the album's Cajun vibe of 'Heartbreaker' and album opener, 'I'm Alright', which indeed we were, given the way the audience participated with Laura's singalong on this set closer! Considering tonight's live performance chemistry, as well as Edmunds' excellent guitar technique and Evans' genre-defying vocal versatility, there's no doubt that they made Laura many new fans tonight. There's lovely!

Moving on from one Welsh beauty to one beast of an American Blues-Rock performer, tonight Walter's awesome quintet was completed by Roland Bakker (keys), John Avila (bass), Brett Smit-Daniels (guitar) and Michael Leisure (drums). Kicking off with Bo Diddley's 'I Can Tell', Trout's white guitar immediately roared with a mouthwatering extended Blues solo, complemented by the Korg keys of the flat capped Bakker. Whether Walter's compliment that "We have a good looking crowd in here tonight" meant that either he wasn't looking in our direction or that he was just simply praising the healthy turn out, the infectious momentum continued with 'Courage In The Dark', the first of the evening from his latest album.

Keeping the groove going, Trout then poised a "rockin' question" to his handsome faithful: "Do you Wanna Dance?" Cue not Barry Blue's Glam Rock ditty of the 70s (showing my age here, not to mention my flares), but Walter's 2020 'Ordinary Madness' version, that indeed had everyone clappin' and rockin' along, with a great vocal to boot from New Jersey's very own. Now 73, and also unbelievably over ten years since his traumatic liver failure and replacement, this prolific six string demon had to learn to walk and talk again, let alone find his way around a fretboard.

Hence, Walter's poignant and heartfelt dedication of 'Say Goodbye To The Blues', taken from 1991's 'Prisoner Of A Dream', in memory of both John Mayall and Catfish's Matt Long, who we both sadly lost recently to that Great Gig In The Sky. This also brought back an abiding memory for me personally, given, after years of relearning the instrument again, I was lucky enough to catch Walter's return to London at Chelsea's Under The Bridge back in October 2017.

Trout had previously reunited with Mayall on the title track of 2014's 'The Blues Came Callin', and that night Walter invited Catfish's Matt (guitar) and Paul Long (keys) on to the stage to perform that very same song, a glorious fourteen minute jam that in retrospect seems so fitting now. Suffice to say, with Matt's parents Fiona and Paul in the audience tonight, just four days after their celebration of Matt's life, Walter's past struggles with his own mortality came across loud and clear with a passionate vocal and exceptional performance of this classic, with understandably, not a dry eye in the house.

The Springsteen Pop vibe of 'Ride', the title track from Trout's 2022 album, lightened the mood thanks to its Melodic Heavy Rock, followed by the slower and busting balls sentiment of 'Follow You Back Home'. Yet another from 'Ride', with Brett playing acoustic guitar, plus some gorgeous harmonies, as well as a beautiful tone and solo from Walter's white axe. Trout's amusing banter on the yin and yang of the music business, before introducing the very aptly named title track from 2022's 'We're All In This Together', saw Bournemouth's very own James Bond lookalike Smit-Daniel's (joked Walter) step into Joe Bonamassa's recording shoes with not only an outstanding guitar solo but also a vocal to match. Indeed we were all shaken and stirred, as was Walter when he so eloquently and despisingly compared Brett's undoubted talent, to all that "hallelujah, rapping and scratching shit!"

Talking of young upcoming Blues artists, despite the fact that there was no Will Wilde tonight on harmonica, who had originally performed 'Bleed' on Trout's latest and 31st album, Walter more than made up for this with another standout solo as well as his John Lee Hooker/Canned Heat/Don't Forget To Boogie intro gag. 'Bleed' was followed by an epic cover of Floyd Lee's 'Red Sun', all fifteen delightful minutes of it, that handed Trout the opportunity to shine the spotlight on the pedigree of his incredible band with accomplished solos from trilby hatted bassist and Grammy nominated producer Avila (Neil Young/Steven Tyler/Steve Vai and brother of Walter's former keyboard player Sammy), Dutch Hammond organist Bakker (Ayreon) and bearded, fedora, shades wearing drummer Leisure (Edgar Winter/Philip Sayce).

To be honest, not one of my all time favourites, but a respected classic all the same, of The Alabama State Troupers 'Going Down', was the sole encore, that saw Laura return to the stage on vocals. On an extremely emotional night of quality not quantity, Walter continues to carry the Blues Rock torch with immense pride and long may it continue. And even out of adversity, tonight we further witnessed green Blues shoots of recovery from the talented Smit-Daniels, which no doubt had Messrs. Moore, Mayall and Long smiling down with approval. Indeed, 'God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You' Walter.

AJ

Photos: Ivan De Mello