When Benji Kirkpatrick rocked up to Newbury
Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess, at ACE Space, Newbury, on Saturday, June 18. Review by CHRIS MARTIN
Fortunately the temperature had dropped for Benji Kirkpatrick’s return to ACE Space, but the audience was treated to some hot music.
Benji’s credentials include being a part of folk royalty Steeleye Span, Faustus and Bellowhead, but for this tour he wanted to ‘get rockier’ with a power trio. With Benji on guitar, bassist Pete Thomas and drummer Pete Flood, they kicked off the first set with two rousing numbers, In Phase and Pinned Down, the latter from their latest album Gold Has Worn Away.
For the next song Fill My Heart, Benji switched to electric bouzouki, an instrument he played with such dexterity it was difficult to see how the sound emerged.
The set continued with Valley of Green, You Should Try Roulette and The Undesirable, songs about being homeless, jobless, the perils of gambling and reason, or lack of it, all sounding like pretty dismal subjects, but played with such spirit they sounded great.
The band finished off the first set with two instrumentals: Schreefs/Shruffolk.
The second set kicked off with People, from Benji’s album Boomerang, followed by Red House.
He has long been a fan of Jimi Hendrix and this version was played at rapid pace, unlike the slow blues of Jimi’s version, and really demonstrated the virtuosity of the band.
With Benji switching back and forth between guitar and bouzouki, we heard Barefaced Lies, about trust in governments and corporations, In Your Cave (and how to get out of one) and Could Be Dragons (should you have to worry?), then another pair of instrumental tunes Magic Square/Fire By the Lake.
Then followed Classic Cut, a song about disillusionment with the music industry, and Got To Be All Mine – the band’s terrific version of Hendrix’s Foxy Lady, the chord sequences definitely identifiable.
A burst of enthusiastic applause and The Excess were called back for an encore, Boomerang.
A terrific evening of top quality songs and performance. We look forward to seeing Benji again when Faustus play ACE Space next year.
