This has to be the hottest ticket in town. The Zac Schulze Gang and Samantha Fish, blazing a trail across the UK together and landing, for one final night before she heads off to Europe, at Nottingham’s famed Rock City.
Despite an early start time of 7PM, the queue is already stretching up the road as we arrive just past six, with the crowd eager to get inside and up to the front. Fortunately, the security staff are on form, and the venue has already filled up nicely by the time Zac Schulze races on stage.
And, for those who know Zac, you’ll know that “race” is hardly an exaggeration. The young virtuoso is a whirlwind in human form. Unable to stay still for even a moment, he launches himself at the fast-paced High Roller as if his life depends on it, his band (featuring Ant Greenwell on bass and Ben Schulze on drums) matching him every step of the way. Unfortunately, the sound is muddy as hell, neutering the guitars and leaving the too-loud drums and thunderous bass to roll over the crowd but, as the guitars slowly filter into the mix, by the end of the song we get to appreciate rather than guess at Zac’s exceptional playing.
The sound has settled appreciably by the time we get to the smart groove of Woman and, with Zac continuing to exhibit an energy that would power a small town, it’s impossible not to get swept along by the sheer exuberance of it all. His performance sure as hell powers the steadily filling Rock City, and the cheers that greet his every move are both loud and sustained. There’s even room for a neat bass solo, highlighting the fact that this is a gang, and each member has a voice.
Up next, we have a live favourite in the form of Rufus Thomas’ Walking the Dog. A slinky, Robert-Cray-esque number, it slows the pace but raises the temperature, and this brilliantly realised cover highlights just how versatile Zac and his gang truly are. It is especially noticeable, during the quieter moments, just how damn good a drummer Ben Schulze is. Sure, he nails the groove, but it’s the flourishes he adds of his own that keeps things interesting and, as he works his way around the cymbals, he’s a pleasure to watch.
Next up, She Does It Right detonates Rock City. A heavy rocker with a punk attitude, it rips across the venue with real force, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. This may be the blues, but in Zac’s hands it’s a lethal strain of the genre, and it’s lucky that bassist Ant is waiting to apply the soothing balm of Hole In My Pocket. An old-school rocking blues number with a Walter Trout vibe, it shows that Ant is no mean vocalist himself, and it leaves Zac free to roam the stage, his fingers racing across the fretboard.
With the set racing past, the dynamic shuffle of Ballyshannon Blues offers the opportunity for some nice vocal harmonies, while a demonic Hellhounds On My Trail finds Zac ripping his guitar off as he unleashes some serious pyrotechnics and even a hint of mission impossible. It leaves the short, sharp, Oh Well to wrap up this near-perfect set in country-fried style.
Raw, powerful, respectful of blues tradition but imbued with rock ’n’ roll spirit, the Zac Schulze Gang are the future of the blues, and it couldn’t be in better hands.
Rock City is absolutely packed by the time Samantha Fish takes to the stage. With her high heels, leather pants, and a blonde bob, she combines elements of Joan Jett, Nancy Wilson, and Tanya Donelly as she tears into her guitar. Over the course of the night, she’ll reference Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and Heart, rocking the venue to its very foundations and leaving the audience somewhat stunned in her wake.
Certainly that Led Zeppelin vibe is to the fore on opening number Paper Doll, a mid-tempo rocker that offers a memorable chorus, plenty of dynamic, and a sense that we’re in the presence of greatness.
The second track, Can You Handle The Heat, cements that feeling, as the track takes on a heavier aspect in the live environment. Samantha warns the audience, steaming at the barrier, that it’s “high pressure, high temper” as she asks the titular question over and over but clearly they can handle the heat, because the cheer that follows damn near raises the roof.
It’s time to bring things down just a touch and, once again digging into the excellent Paper Doll album, Samantha leads us into the countrified shuffle of I’m Done Runnin’. The slower pace remains on the bluesy Sweet Southern Sounds, which nods to the likes of The Black Crowes with its grungy pulse and tasteful lead work.
The set continues with Lose You, which finds the entire audience clapping gamely along to a track that boasts a heavy bass groove courtesy of the wonderful Ron Johnson and some blistering slide work. However, it’s the sultry Don’t Say You Love Me that seals the deal, the track building over its extended runtime to a truly awesome solo that leaves everybody in awe.
Nor are we done yet. With a cheeky grin on her face, Samantha whips out a cigar box guitar for the bruising Bullet Proof, a track nailed by a kick-drum stomp so brutal you worry that Jamie Douglass is trying to hammer his way through the stage. So, so much heavier live than on record, it harks back to the first album by The Kills, and it underscores Samantha’s diverse range of influences. It’s followed by the gloriously schizophrenic Fortune Teller, a game of two halves that starts out reminiscent of Belly before plunging into a whiplash-inducing second half that finds Samantha ripping into the riff as she fires her vocals through a distorted mic.
For the old school blues fans, Poor Mattie offers up a lengthy slide solo (complete with guitar change mid song), although Samantha’s not done rocking us to our core as, with a flick of her golden locks, she leads her band into the super-heavy Rusty Razor. A hard rocker with a tonne of attitude and all the fuzz you could want, it thunders through Rock City like a freight train on a slope with the breaks burned out.
Pausing for air, Samantha asks if it’s OK for the band to calm things down, “I know this is a raucous rock club” she laughs. What follows is an epic Dream Girl, which tiptoes across the stage, wrapping up in an extended solo that finds Samantha trading licks with keyboardist Mickey Finn before collapsing to the floor, drawing swathes of Neil Young-esque feedback out of her screaming guitar. The spirit of Neil continues over into the lengthy set closer, Black Wind Howlin’, a gritty blues jam that leaves you with the very real feeling that Samantha Fish is now truly unstoppable.
The assembled throng are hardly likely to let Samantha leave it at that and the roar of the crowd drags the band back to the stage for one final song. With a smiling Zac Schulze entering the fray, it’s a ferocious, guitar heavy take on Bitch On The Run, which sounds like AC/DC in their pomp going head-to-head with Heart, and it provides the night with a suitably ecstatic conclusion.
An astounding guitarist, a formidable singer, and an engaging presence, Samantha Fish is one of those artists you simply have to see live. Throw the increasingly essential Zac Schulze Gang into the mix, and you have one hell of a riotous evening on your hands. Same time next year?
