Blueswater go from strength to strength with their all new show,
The musicianship of these guys gets better and better and I can’t recommend them enough
Blueswater are utterly charming with their historically informed music shows. There’s something slightly reminiscent of Disney’s Fantasia with the artistry in which these shows are wonderfully realised and curated. Frontrunner Nicole Smit is a real talent, oozing style and charisma and belting the fantastic numbers with real zing and passion. She’s accompanied by the vocal talents and historical knowledge of Ruth Kroch, who also greatly impresses. We start small, as is the Blueswater tradition, with a solo of Crazy Blues by Mamie Smith; a fantastic number that was a reaction to race violence in America back in 1919. We move through history, from Mississippi floods and onto singing cowboys, all the while the band growing and changing to fit the evolving musical styles. They cover artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Big Mama Thornton and Nina Simone, singing hits such as Hound Dog and Got my Mojo Working but in the style of the female artists who performed them originally.
The band are utterly fantastic, with excellent brass, keys and a thoroughly enjoyable harmonica and beautiful guitar work. The appreciative, lightly educational niche they're going for won't appeal to all, but this is a real fun night for any lovers of blues and big band music. The space is also a great venue for Blueswater who have real room to play and get the audience stomping in the spacious Space Triplex Big. Queens of the Blues also covers modern Blues artists such as Bonnie Raitt and the gospel sounds of Susan Tedeschi making for a varied and utterly fantastic night.
The musicianship of these guys gets better and better and I can’t recommend them enough. For a real fun night of brilliant music as well as some great musical history go and see the great talents of Blueswater.
