Took a trip from Ireland to England for this gig.
The venue was the Robin 2 in Bilston, West Midlands.
First the support act was Laurence Jones. A young English guy, he gave a storming good performance and really got the (small) crowd warmed up for the main attraction. I was surprised to see Samantha Fish's drummer, Go Go Ray up there playing for him.
The bigger surprise was that his bassist, Roger Innes was also doing a double stint.
When Samantha appeared onstage, the same rhythm section came back on stage with her.
Her set was everything I had hoped for, strong and brilliantly performed.
At this point I should mention that the sound system and crew at the Robin 2 are possibly the best quality I have ever heard in nearly 40 years of watching live gigs.
It was loud enough and pin sharp - perfect to my ears.
Samantha's set was great, and her singing and playing were faultless, with a stunning acoustic section in the middle, excellent stuff and worth the trip to see the show.
She closed with Laurence Jones joining her onstage for some jamming and riff - trading fun. Very enjoyable.
Next time I hope she can come to Ireland, preferably Belfast, save me a long journey!!
Wynton Marsalis
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