Beth Hart und Wille and the Bandits

I went to see Beth Hart for the very first time back in 2005. She had just played Pinkpop for the first time and came back to NL for a short tour.

I had listened to her Pinkpop-performance on a small portable radio with bad reception, but knew I had to see this live. And so I did: Oosterpoort Groningen (NL), small venue. I was blown away, and absolutely hooked to that energy.

Since then I've seen her perform over 30 times. Her shows are raw and emotional and full of energy, she tells the best stories while on stage, and always delivers.

She's a total sweetheart too, if you're lucky enough to meet her. Lately she's getting more and more known due to her collaboration with Joe Bonamassa, and I've had the pleasure to see them together in Amsterdam. Brilliant show, worth every cent.

So yeah, go see Beth if you have the chance. It may be a bit expensive these days, but you'll thank yourself afterwards!

The show started with a 45 minute set from Last Great Dreamers. An enjoyable set of well played upbeat commercial pop-rock with good hooks and choruses. The singer wanted to be Marc Bolan!

Wille & the Bandits are a 3 piece from Cornwall and are a great mixture of styles and influences.

From blues to psych, prog to rock, southern rock to folk and a 15 minute instrumental (Angel) that touched on 70's jazz-rock thrown in for good measure - all were included in the 90 minute set.

Instrumentally each member was excellent and demonstrated a versatility that is often absent in bands.

When it comes down to it, its all about the songs and there was certainly enough to keep the interest.

Well worth checking out.