What is it about Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow? Is there no place that sells a satisfactory pint of Guinness? You can go one street to the side and get a perfect pint but not on Sauchiehall Street itself. No, sir! Anyway, being resourceful, two Bluesbunnies decided to attempt a review fuelled only by that woman's drink known as lager. Our venue tonight is Box and the live entertainment is being provided by Richard Cook, Badly Dubbed Boy, Louise Against the Elements and Spearbrave.
Being the solo act has no doubt entitled Richard Cook to take the first shot at impressing the crowd. He seems nervous and his voice falters a bit but by the time he gets to "Told a Lie", we can see some promise. We note that there are some quirky twists and turns to his vocal delivery that show individuality and bode well for his future. By the end of his set, with "Constitution Street", his vocal power and range seems to have grown substantially. Like a good whisky, we reckon that Richard Cook needs some time to mature and it might just be worth the wait.
Making the trip from Livingston tonight are Badly Dubbed, this four piece band put a bit of style into the proceedings. They are a neat rock band at the lighter end of that musical spectrum but that ain't a bad thing. Seeing them on a Monday night seems strangely inappropriate as they seem more of a Friday night cut-yourself-loose band and they certainly play well together. They kind of reminded Bluesbunny of seventies' bands like Eddie and The Hot Rods especially with "Hush". Good, honest fun in other words and, by the manner in which bass player Sean Leyden was bouncing about, the band were enjoying themselves too.
And along came Louise Against the Elements. This band have been born of Bluesbunny favourite Captain Howdie and have added a drummer to give an altogether bigger and raunchier sound. Now this turns out to have been a smart move and they are more than a bit tasty. Stephen Merrick's guitar playing swaps styles seamlessly as the band's songs seduce us. Tim Gray's drumming has a pleasing raw edge to it but the icing on the cake is Louise Hendry's sultry, honeyed vocals. And the songs? "On a Saturday Night" exudes attitude. "Rollin' in Honey" is delivered in a manner so cool that it would chill your beer. They even do a couple of Captain Howdie songs as well. "President of Nothing" is altogether edgier here tonight and "Sinful" even gets dedicated to the Bluesbunny. Ms Hendry remarks that she is hoping to get a good review. By the end of the first song that was never in doubt. Musically, this band has got it made and in Louise Hendry they also have an entrancing and charismatic front person. Definitely a tip for the top.
And in the Follow That category tonight are Spearbrave. A five piece outfit from East Kilbride, they have unfortunately drawn the short straw tonight. Practitioners of indie rock (and looking suitably serious throughout their set), they appear to be right at home on the stage mixing up their angst with their guitars. Drummer Mark Maley handles the skin beating thing especially well and Bluesbunny detects the ghost of Morrissey hanging around in there too but they know a good tune or two with "Never Let Go" sticking around long after the band finished. A tidy performance then but they seemed rather unexciting after the sweat provoking performance of Louise Against the Elements.
Tonight's winner? Louise Against the Elements triumphs with Badly Dubbed getting an honourable mention. In our scientific test - not only here for the music, you see - it would appear that consuming lager only adds to the Bluesbunny hunger. There is another good thing about Box as a venue - its close proximity to a vendor of our favourite late night snack - chicken pakora.