Eric Bibb @ Fly By Night,Fremantle (02/04/11)

Tue 5th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Eric Bibb is a southern gentleman, a troubadour of the acoustic delta blues. Bibb graced the Fly By Night club with a sold out, packed in crowd very happy to see him. A considerable portion of the audience were middle aged, as is Bibb allegedly, though he appears many years younger.

Ain’t Gonna be this Way began this set with Bibb’s rich and buttery vocals. He looked the part with his trademark hat imitated by a few stylish men in the crowd. The first song was folky, but in the second; Goin Down Slow, the real blues kicked in. It was exciting to hear proper blues from a proper bluesman. It was obvious that the music was emitted by his soul. Bibb’s vocal was faultless whether it was smooth or the rough blues growl and howl.

Staffan Astner joined the head-liner on stage and Bibb continued playing his acoustic guitar while Astner came to prominence with the electric guitar. Astner’s style was completely effortless, he ranged from standing still to perching on a stool but his playing did not need any bells and whistles it was enough in itself. Bibb was the showman of the pair, dancing like a happy clown during one song or wrenching lyrics from the bottom of his guts for the more dark and heavy songs.

Bibb showed his awareness of planetary issues, commenting on the heat in Perth at the moment, stating that the planet must be going through menopause, and dedicating song Flood Water to the many floods that affecting the world in the recent past. There was a mellow, rolling tone to this tune, but like much of the set, a slow song was followed by one of pure energy; in this case Tell Riley followed, one of Booker White’s compositions. Bibb also played a Taj Mahal song, Needed Time which elicited a shy sing along and a Negro spiritual; Wayfaring Soldier, which, he explained, originated in Scotland.

The songs that stood out the most were the more heavyset blues numbers like Don’t ever let nobody drag your spirit down. Whilst most of the crowd were seated, there were some oldies up the back having a dance, oddly enough it was mostly middle aged men that were getting their groove on.

Eric Bibb played a lovely set of blues and folk numbers ranging from songs of heart, spirit and others of the daily grind, the man himself had amazing musical skill and when combined with Astner, this increased tenfold. Bibb’s voice could have lifted anyone’s spirits as his love of music and love of having people to share that with was inescapable.