It’s a warm Sunday evening and we’re in Nottingham, heading to The Bodega for an evening of blues / blues – rock. Tonight, there are two bands gracing the stage. The up-and-coming talent that is Jesse Garwood and French guitarist Laura Cox, who came to prominence as a YouTube musician before starting her own band in 2013.
We arrive just in time for the Jesse Garwood Band. A young artist, who only left school shortly before this tour kicked off, Jesse has already made a strong name for himself and has pulled a decent crowd. He kicks off the night in a slightly awkward manner, cutting the intro to enquire for the second time if we’re up for a great night but this, it turns out, is pretty much the only misstep in an otherwise very impressive set.
Opening number The Banker, if a little overlong, is a cool blues rocker with gritty Cream undertones and plenty of bonus cowbell. The band, all three displaying some serious chops, quickly hit their stride and, by the time Jesse rips into a solid climactic solo, they have firmly hit their groove.
A personable musician, Jesse chatters away amiably enough between songs (“this guitar was in tune when I bought it”, he quips) and, if the crowd feel a little staid at the outset, he soon wins everyone over with a mixture of charm, stage presence, and serious musical skill.
Interestingly, given that Jesse and his band turn in a number of covers, it’s the original cuts that prove most memorable. Bad Lovers Blues emerges as a particular highlight, showcasing not only Jesse’s skills, but also those of Ben Hancock (bass) and Elliot Francis (drums). It kicks off with a giant, crunchy riff, only for Elliot to shift gears and push the track in a wirier direction, Jessee’s increasingly impressive lead runs backed by Ben’s funky bass.
Jesse wraps the set up with a crowd-pleasing one-two punch of covers. First, we get Rory Gallagher’s unassailable Tattoo’d Lady, which is delivered with plenty of fire by an energetic band. Then, Jesse segues unexpectedly into a funky take on Voodoo Child (Slight Return), concluding the night with some truly impressive fret work.
Clearly one to watch, Jesse Garwood is not only a talented musician in his own right, but he’s happened upon a truly capable band, with all three trading grins as they rip through a mix of covers and original material. Honestly, it’s really cool to see a young band, straight out of school, tackling the blues with such passion and power. Don’t sleep on Jesse, both he and his band are going places.
With the Bodega now comfortably full, Laura Cox makes a slightly unconventional entrance onto the packed stage with a huge smile on her face. Clearly happy to be here, she leads her talented band through a lengthy set that, while tethered to the blues by only the most elastic of threads, has all the irrepressible energy and musical chops that the audience could wish for.
It’s very much a rock band that Laura leads – more Deep Purple then Buddy Guy – something we quickly learn as she blazes through the opening gambit: mid-tempo rocker Rise Together and the high-octane If You Wanna Get Loud. The latter may have a title drawn straight from Kiss but the crackling solo, delivered by Laura teetering on the edge of the stage, sends sparks flying across the room. Heavier than on record and with awesome energy levels that are maintained across the night, Laura is clearly not interested in taking prisoners and it makes for an electrifying show.
With the temperature soaring, Laura leads us into A Way Home, which finds a bluesier lick nailed by punishingly heavy drums and… is that a disco beat we find lodged way back in there? It’s cool, it gets people moving, and it moves to a frenetic conclusion that finds Laura pushing her band to ever greater heights as bassist (and human dynamo) Adrien Kah bounces around the stage. Better still is the scratchy Set Me Free, which opens in radio-rock territory, only to keep building as Laura fires solo after solo towards an eager crowd.
It’s not all heavy rock, of course. The new Out Of The Blue has a calmer, dustier sound with hints of Skunk Anansie in the vocal delivery, while Not Your Story nods to the heavy duty robo-funk of Royal Blood circa Typhoons, just to keep the audience guessing. Along the way, you’ll find nods to AC/DC (The Broken), and Guns ‘n’ Roses (Set Me Free), all delivered with such wide-eyed enthusiasm that it’s impossible not to be swept along by it all.
Of particular note is the Deep Purple-esque Big Mouth, which kicks off in familiar hard rock territory, only for Laura to abandon her guitar and take up a position behind the kit, while drummer Antonin Guérin joins Leo Cotton on keys. It’s a really nice touch and, from the grins traded by the various band members, you get the impression that they’re having just as much fun as the audience are by this point.
A formidable force, Laura Cox is not only a phenomenal guitarist songwriter but, like Jesse Garwood, she has harnessed the power of a truly excellent band. With such firepower at her disposal, she is unstoppable and it is hard to imagine she will remain in venues of this size. By the time she hits the encore – an aptly titled Do I have Your Attention – the audience is hers to command.
With great sound, two fresh and exciting acts offering different but complementary tunes, and a decent crowd, tonight is one of those gigs where you feel that something is just getting started. Both Laura and Jesse have talent, stage presence and, most importantly, an awareness that, while it’s their name on the billboard, a solid band is essential, all of which makes for an engaging, energetic, and sweaty evening. Great stuff!
