Review of July concert with Paul Hemphill
Posted Friday, July 15, 2005
In July, our featured artist was the very talented and obviously very popular Paul Hemphill.
His humorous "I'm a Guru" was hilarious!
Floorspots had been booked up and the room was full and buzzing with activity well before starting time. The night started with Sue Gee and moi, and a reprise of Lemon Tart. This was followed by some fine blues ("Everything's the same blues") from Malcolm Harrison, then a complete change of pace with Charles Tyler. His humorous "I'm a Guru" was hilarious! Aitch, with harmonies from Rosie McDonald of the Mothers of Intention, performed two songs.
Paul Hemphill's first set started on a light note with "Samson and Delightful". Songs such as "Turkish Gallipoli" and "Red Rain" showed his skill at crafting not only the humorous songs for which he is well known, but also those with a more serious message.
After the break, we were blown away by an extended floorspot from the Wheeze and Suck Band, who proved that they haven't lost any of their punch. Their treatment of "Mad Tom o' Bedlam" was something to behold. Look forward to seeing them back here in December. There were also good floorspots from Leon Rabin and Hilton Sack.
It was a fantastic night - one of our best...
Paul Hemphill's second set included such favourites as "Tourquemada Blues" and "Roman Holiday", and of course we wouldn't let him leave without singing "I still Call Mongolia Home". He is a thoroughly entertaining, polished performer with a wicked sense of humour, who is well worth seeing when you can catch him. It was a fantastic night - one of our best, jam-packed with a large variety of excellent music.
