Blues in Britain Magazine, Dale Storr Review

Best Blues I've seen.

Dale Storr and Band, The Coach and Horses, Dronfield, 18/07/10


A pub in an unknown village, on the side of a busy road, on a relatively cloudy Sunday do not tend to be the criteria that prepares one for the kind of entertainment that occurred at the Coach and Horses in Dronfield. There was wonderful union between the Real British Ale, Real Deep South BBQ and real talent which culminated in an evening unlike any others I have experienced. Dale Storr is a known musician in the Blues scene in Sheffield and his departure from solo New Orleans Pianist became a seamless transition to playing with a bassist, Jeremy Meek, trumpet player Ian Sanderson and drummer, Dave Raeburn. After one band practice the band took it upon themselves to play a gig, I was lucky enough to be there. The set list covered all the bases, a backlog of songs which any discerning blues fan would cry out to a performer in hope of hearing live. Amongst their flawless renditions were songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and Hank Snow. Their impeccable Ray Charles cover of Marrianne got roars of recognition and smiles from all the audience. The skill in which these musicians performed in the first half was clearly admired by the audience consisting of a healthy balance of Blues enthusiasts, families, teens and the men who were somewhat swayed by the ale. In the second half the admiration was transposed to amazement when the band took it upon themselves to, not only play some of Dale’s songs from his upcoming EP such as Radiate the 88, but added more wonderful renditions of other classics. Something seemed to occur in this half, a poignant and stunning cover of Summertime, with Ian taking the forefront, left the crowd in awe. What struck me most is, despite the lack of practice, you could never tell, therefore there was no separation from this band from any of the greats. This demonstrates an undeniable passion on all accounts. I cannot stress how much enjoyable this evening was, everyone in the audience were clapping, singing, and shouting through every song; whether it was well known, for example a Blues cover of The Beatles’ ‘I saw her standing there’ or other, less famous classics such as Barefootin’ by Robert Parker. Regardless of the song or style, everyone was engrossed. Despite the fact it’s early days for this band; with their skill, prowess and ability to get four encores like they did on Sunday, I can only predict great, great things.