Funkydory

Last night we went to the Half Moon PH in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. The pub hold a blues club every Wednesday entitled Bluesalive. Most weeks they hold a jam session which I intend to go along to very soon. However, last night they had a gig with a band called Funkydory. As can be seen from other entries to this blog, my preferred listening pleasure is jazz rather than funk but I do enjoy live music and am willing to give anything a try. I am so glad I did. From the outset I knew this was going to be a great night. The four band members were clearly competent musicians which made me sit up and study them very closely.

At the front was vocalist Lorna Reilly. The Funkydory web site (www.funckydory.com) describes her as being “blessed with the voice of an angel”. I don’t know whether angels ever sang this type of music but if they did the gods were no doubt tapping their feet. Lorna’s voice is extremely powerful. Her style of delivery is energetic. Both these attributes give a great presence to the band and ensure that the listener’s attention is on the band and nowhere else.

Lead guitarist is Jules Fothergill. This guy can play. Oh boy can he play. His rhythm was spot on and not too repetitive with each number. His solos were fantastic and I could not help thinking that he would be just as comfortable playing in a jazz band. With each song he varied his sounds and riffs so that we were never sure what was coming next. Music should have a little predictability but not too much. If you get the chance go see this man play.

On the bass was Ian “Lillian” Maurico. Maurico is a left handed player but could not be described in the derisory sense as a south paw. His support play was of the highest quality and kept the funky feel going throughout the night. I was particularly impressed when he and Fothergill played in unison it was a very good sound.

On the skins was a visiting drummer. Unfortunately I did not catch his name but he was great to watch and was clearly enjoying himself as deputy to regular Hayden Doyle. There were a couple of times when I noticed he went out of sync with the band but this can be expected with any substitute. He did give us a treat though when he played out a tremendous drum solo at the end of the evening. He included a lot of variation including playing the rims of his drums quite extensively.

Finally, the one lasting impression I got from this band was that they had fun. They played with smiles on their faces (something we don’t always see at the jazz club) and judging by the long encore did not want the gig to finish. The audience agreed.