Plant on Home Turf

Monday night found me in a queue alongside Bev Bevan (drummer from ELO) wearing purple socks and Allison, sporting a baggy Jack Daniels t-shirt, sister of legendary man of rock, back on home ground, Robert Plant.  A coup for the Civic in Wolverhampton (Willenhall Leisure Centre had a dominos fixture) where 3,000 Plant/Zeppelin fans had travelled far and wide for 2 hours of musical magic and a whole lotta love from the 65 year old rocker looking and sounding as good as ever, with his new band The Sensational Space Shifters.

Tuesday night Wolves vs Walsall resulted in a 2-2 draw in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy where no doubt Plant and Bevan, as huge Wolves fans, would be found seated in the new Stan Cullis Stand at Molineux.

Not quite the same attendance at Newport Open Mic perhaps but nonetheless an enthusiastic crowd of music lovers starting with Malcolm Purvis from Leeds who now makes the Navy Club a regular venue to try out his self penned songs. Malcolm first attended Open Mic here just over a year ago and has been inspired by many of the talented performers he has heard over the past 12 months. His first song, Higher and Higher, was about optimism and making the best of everything and at the other end of the spectrum Black Sun took us down the road of pessimism. The Girl on Line 14 was the first song he ever wrote and I remember its first airing last summer about a Polish girl at the checkout with whom he fell in love. Malcolm is off to Chicago in November for 2 weeks and has got some gigs booked over there so he is indeed going Higher and Higher.

Despite a sore throat and swollen glands Olly Flavell was in extra chilled mood and Ronan Keating’s When You Say Nothing at All was especially soulful. He can be heard this Saturday performing at Herofest at Sir Alexander Fleming School in Sutton Hill an all day charity event between 10am and 6pm.

15 year old Nathan Davis is very much at home on the Open Mic stage as his late father, Martyn, was. Coldplay’s Fix You was especially good as was the Bon Iver song Skinny Love. Great to see Angel Day, also 15, joining him on stage and singing Best Day by Taylor Swift with him. Always a good choice of songs from Nathan which very often include his own material as well as some well remembered songs written by his father.

Steve Davis was next up and has made his own the little known David Crosby song Traction in the Rain from the 1971 solo album if I Could Only Remember My Name. Christie Moore’s Ride On suits his vocal range to a tee and this was followed by an ad lib with the title Dusty Road. A Londoner himself his version of Steve Marriott’s and Ronnie Lane’s You Need Loving was outstanding. A fine set enhanced by the use of a chorus pedal was concluded with Tom Petty’s Learning to Fly.

A second time round for Olly and finally a lovely finish to an all acoustic evening when Graham Dabbs got up and treated us to his fine flat picking and melodic vocals with country songs by the Carter Family, Wildwood Flower and US country star Hal Ketchum’s Past The Point of Rescue. Hal can be seen at the Robin at Bilston on 21^st October.  

Another great night at the Navy. Don’t forget full PA and drum kit is provided so just turn up and play or relax and enjoy an evening listening to some great local talent.

Report Jude Paton

Photographs Matthew Thomas