GIG REVIEW – ANDREW COMBS

GIG REVIEW – ANDREW COMBS

Your London Guitar Academy gig reviewer, Paul Wood, has thrown himself back into the gig circuit as the post-holiday concert schedule cranks up for the autumn.

Out and about in Nottingham last week, Paul caught the Andrew Combs Trio in action at The Maze, supported by Matt McLoskey on a UK tour promoted by locally based Cosmic American Music.

GIG REVIEW – ANDREW COMBS

ANDREW COMBS

GIG REVIEW – ANDREW COMBS

Andrew Combs is a Nashville based singer/songwriter/guitarist who combines country/blues/rock to provide a modern take on Southern country soul.

Andrew  has previously toured the UK as the support act (and live band member) with the highly regarded Caitlin Rose. This was his first headlining UK tour.

Joined by Jerry Bernhardt on guitar and Dom Billett on drums, the band played to a highly appreciative crowd at the Maze –an ideal intimate setting for Combs and his songs.

The set was based primarily on the 2012 album “Worried Man” and newer material from his forthcoming release “All These Dreams” – expected to be released in Europe at the start of 2015.

Songs from the “Worried Man” album included “Please Please Please”. “Come Tomorrow” “Too Stoned To Cry” “Devil’s Got My Woman” and “Why Oh Why”.

Here’s a Youtube clip of Andrew playing “Too Stoned To Cry”

And here’s a clip from the London show on the current tour of the band playing “Please Please Please”:

New songs included “All These Dreams” and “Rainy Day Song”.

Here’s “Rainy Day Song”:

Between song conversation with the audience was intimate and self-effacing, Andrew was clearly pleased to be here in the UK and that his songs were receiving the attention they deserved.

Although most of the songs were played to a reverentially hushed audience, increasingly firey guitar breaks from Jerry Bernhardt as the set went on prompted whoops and applause and by the end of the set the audience were clapping along when instructed and joining in on the chorus on set closer “Emily”.

Here’s Andrew doing a live version of “Emily” from the US last year:

Brought back for a well deserved encore, the band played a song which Andrew described as his favourite track (“Nothing To Lose”) off the new album , and the title track of his previous release “Worried Man”.

The success of this tour and the release of the new album next year should see Andrew back in the UK again – go catch him if you can.

Blast From The Past

Here’s a clip of Andrew playing “She’s Only Lonely” – cut in 2011 (but not ultimately selected) for the “Worried Man”  album.