Bill Wyman and Mary Wilson at Southport Theatre
by Jeanette Smith. Published Wed 19 Oct 2011 11:39Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Southport Theatre
Famous for being the bass guitarist with the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman has now come back to his musical roots with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, a nine-piece combo of virtuoso musicians.
On Tuesday night they played two-hour gig at Southport Theatre with a set comprising jazz, blues, soul, rockabilly and good old rock’n’roll. Supporting him were Graham Broad on drums, Terry Taylor on guitar, Geraint Watkins on piano, The brilliant Albert Lee on guitar, Georgie Fame on organ, Frank Mead and Nick Payn on horns, and Beverley Skeete on vocals.
The band, with various line-ups, has been going for 12 years, with the newest member, Geraint, playing with them for the past three years.
The night kicked off with a raucous rendering of Jitterbug Boogie followed by the delicious Beverley Skeete singing a soulful Tell Mama to a big band sound from the combo. Beverley has such range and her voice has that blues quality that keeps you mesmerised.
Each musician had his turn to foreground his expertise, especially Terry Taylor with amazing guitar riffs, and hornmen Frank Mead and Nick Payn who boogied the night away with full-bodied sound.
Georgie Fame, of the Blue Flames, on organ was in good voice, and seemed to be running the show. Bill Wyman, who mainly stood and played bass, took little part in the show and although he introduced the musicians, for the most part just stood and played looking totally disinterested though no doubt behind the scenes it is he who has put the whole show together. But it would have been nice to at least see him smile!
The star of the show was guest Mary Wilson of the Supremes and at 67 years, bopped around the stage and was such a spark of fun. Her voice is as good as ever with renderings of her great hits, Stop in the Name of Love, Dancing in the Street, and I Need Love. She interacted brilliantly with the audience and was in great shape for her age.
However, though this show had some brilliant spots, the main choice of music seemed a little samey. There were some dramatic interludes, like when Skeete sang It’s a Man’s World, showing off her great vocal skill, and the tender So Sad when Skeete duo-ed with Terry Taylor, bringing the evocative Everly’s hit a new poignancy.
Having Mary Wilson on the show lifted what could have been a rather run-of-the-mill set. There is no doubt that Wyman’s musicians are all masters of their art, but at times it seemed their playing could have meshed better.
As this is only the second gig in the run maybe this will change.
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Please note: The spelling of the musicians names were wrong in the original review
