It’s nights like these which leave aspiring musicians a little bit depressed as they realise the giant gap between their own abilities and that of musicians such as Kevin Borich. But it’s important to remind yourself of exactly the kind of talent you’re witnessing. This is a man with 30 years of professional experience behind him; a man who was casually invited onstage to jam with Santana; and a man who was inducted into the Australian Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. So cheer up, you still have 25 years to reach this level of talent.
Kevin’s son Lucius on the other hand makes every aspiring drummer wish they too had received their first kit at the age of three. Maybe then they could bust out 15 minute technical solos and make them look easy. Watching father and son on stage, as they perform with Harry Brus on bass, is definitely something to behold. It was a night of blues, rock and funk rolled into one. It was a night for all generations to be inspired at the talent that Australian musicians have to offer.
The night started off in an acoustic fashion with Tattoo Rose. Not quite Angry Anderson’s rock band but a duo of a woman with a husky voice which sounded like she’d just swallowed a cheese grater and a man wielding an acoustic guitar who slightly resembled Meat Loaf. They played covers spanning Chris Issak, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin and more as the room slowly began to fill. She had an impressive rockabilly voice but it felt like she needed something stronger than an acoustic guitar to back her up.
The crowd that turned up for Borich and Borich was a mixture of generations and attitudes. There were the old rockers: men past their prime but somehow with their long hair and relaxed stance they seemed to be the epitome of cool. There were the young blues fans: guys who knew every word to every song and ran around dancing manically and enjoying themselves immensely. And there were the Cog fans: people who were curious to see whether Lucius’ talent could transcend its rock boundaries into the realms of blues and funk. Turns out it can.
The set started with Kevin and his steel acoustic guitar alone on stage. That is, if you ignore Lucius’ mountain of drums looming to his left. The bass pad at his foot started thumping, drawing his audience in closer. And once that slide guitar began and his deep voice was added to the mix the entire crowd knew this was going to be a fun night.
With the introduction of Lucius and Brus, the rhythm section created an even stronger blues feel which surged through the room. They rolled through songs like Silent Treatment, Lonely One and I Can’t Wait. They played flawlessly while seeming completely at ease and fitting in perfectly with that blues attitude. Brus leant against his chair playing bass as if he didn’t have a tense muscle in his entire body, Lucius made a giant kit look like an extension of himself and Kevin was completely in his element, singing to the entire crowd as if it was their own personal show.
The first set ended with Rollin & Tumble, which included a guest appearance by Sunny Louis on harmonica and a bass solo that caused more than one jaw to hit the ground. With years of experience and unfathomable confidence Brus made that bass guitar talk. Then with a flutter of his hand he began playing slap bass faster than my eyes could comprehend. The sound was amazing. With that solo over it was Lucius’ turn to show Cog fans exactly what he’s capable of. An extremely long accented snare solo did just that, proving that not only does he have amazing technique, rhythm and speed but also the endurance of a Duracell bunny.
The second set turned the energy up a notch. Feeling refreshed from a short break and a wardrobe change, the trio began playing with more rock and funk behind them. Kevin broke out that glimmering Fender Srat and the entire atmosphere changed. Brus was off his chair, Lucius had picked up the tempo and the crowd had become more active. Or maybe I was just watching those two guys in bandannas that were running to either side of the stage pointing out solos to the rest of the audience like we were an ignorant bunch of fools who hadn’t noticed.
Ending the show with Going Downtown, Going Somewhere and a few more immense solos, Kevin gave a quick – œWe’ve got to go now folks’ and that was the end. Three amazing talents walked offstage leaving their audience amazed and wondering where the last two and a half hours had gone. And those aspiring musicians wondering how many hours a day they need to practice to play half as good as that.
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