It's rare for this Bluesbunny to find a reason to drink on a weekday so any opportunity is usually pounced upon with vigour. However, it's even less common for legends like Tony Joe White to roll into Glasgow. Discovering the fruity charms of a Sailor Jerry rum and coke (with lime!) played second fiddle to a set of aged-in the-wood swamp rock.
Support came from Falkirk's own Ross Fairweather, who was lucky to be on the bill and he was well aware of that. Dipping into country and folk territory via Bread ("Make it With You") and Neil Young ("Harvest Moon"), Fairweather performed with a maturity that belied his youthful appearance while never coming across as particularly outstanding. Writing a song called "The King" that doesn't reference Elvis is always going to disappoint. However, Fairweather ended his set strongly and made a considerable impression on the crowd.
Maybe it was the Sailor Jerry's but, as Tony Joe White took to the stage, the normally tepid surroundings of King Tut's became the brooding swamps of Louisiana. Tony Joe White has been performing for over 40 years and his talent hasn't withered with his once-smooth blues croon maturing into a charismatic drawl.
An unscripted set of just over an hour of funk-laden blues - including old favourites such as "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Even Trolls Rock 'n' Roll" (surely the inspiration for Zappa's "Titties 'n' Beer") - led to the song everyone had been waiting for, "Polk Salad Annie". Tony and his band let no one down for, as much as the performance lacked energy, the sheer thrill of White's guitar and harmonica interplay was enough to engage a very receptive crowd.
There we have it. Anyone who says the blues can't be done by white men might be right, but what constitutes the blues is always open to interpretation. Tony Joe White remains a fine example of how the blues can be dirtied up and served up once more to the people.