Hippy chick (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) Sari Schorr returned to the UK with her band to deliver her brand of blues-rock. We’re in the small room at KK’s Steelmill which provides the setting for a fairly intimate gig attended by a small, but perfectly formed, audience.
First up was Ashley Sherlock who I didn’t get to see very much of at all because I was interviewing Sari and she just wouldn’t stop talking! Just kidding, I was chatting with Sari, and we did finish a little late but Ashley finished a few minutes ahead of schedule so all I got to hear was part of his final song, ‘Fine by me’, a little bit of upbeat blues-rock. Sorry Ashley.
With a new studio album due out later this year it’s likely that several of the songs played tonight will find themselves on that release. I spotted two versions of the setlist on the stage and it looked like there might be a surprise in store for the audience, but more of that shortly.
The band tonight comprised Jamie Walker on guitar and backing vocals, Martin Jacoby on keyboards, Carl Stanbridge on bass, Russ Parker on drums and, of course, Sari Schorr on vocals.
The stage is small, the lighting moderate at best and it was just as well the smoke detectors were turned off. That said, Sari herself filled the stage with her personality; a beaming smile which exuded genuine friendship and chats with the audience that only bolstered that further.
The set kicked off with Mister in the Middle and it was clear her voice was already warmed up for what was to come. It turned out, not to be a laid back blues fest, but more of an out-and-out blues rock hit. There wasn’t much to show of her five octave vocal range but lots to show of her raw power.
Next, she went right back to her first album, A Force of Nature, to tell us that she Ain’t Got no Money with Jamie Walker leading the way on the music. The title of Sari’s next album is likely to be (he says with fingers crossed) Running Wild and so song number 3 would be the title track from such an album and also explains the name given to this little tour.
Many of her songs seem to be about personal encounters and experiences and so resonate with a good number in the audience. The songs are presented with power, but also with feeling and the audience appreciated every single one. In particular, They Call it Freedom, and the song that followed, Man on Fire, which were dedicated to her grandfather and father respectively, hit home quite hard. With her predecessors coming from Ukraine this woman holds a lot of both sympathy and empathy for what’s going on around the world without getting the least bit political.
Now, I mentioned that I managed to sneak a peak at two very slightly different setlists on stage and the time had come to explain the difference. One copy of the setlist had a hand-written song inserted into the set, this was (Call it) Stormy Monday and Sari called local legend Rebecca Downes to the stage to perform a duet of that song. I’d seen Becah and her sidekick/manager Colin, before the show but I wasn’t aware of the surprise duet scheduled. Stormy Monday was originally sung by T-Bone Walker in the 1940’s and later covered by bands such as The Allman Brothers and so had a fine heritage. The local girl did good and the song was an instant hit with the crowd.
Throughout the set the band performed flawlessly, without too much animation in some cases – but that seemed to work, while Jamie Walker, in particular, provided some energetic riffs.
King of Rock & Roll from her 2018 album Never Say Never was followed by Ordinary Life and we eventually reach the end of the set with the ever-popular stomper Valentina.
A very short break, as we were already well passed the 10pm supposed end-time, and the band return for Afterglow and a cover of Stephen Stills’ Love the One You’re With. A happy crowd dispersed with a few holding back to chat with both Sari and Rebecca Downes who came out front to mingle. A powerhouse set interspersed with a few, but not many, softer blues moments made for a fabulous night – can we do it again please!
Thanks too, go to Mark Everitt, Sari’s TM, for his help on the night.
Setlist: 1. Mister in the Middle: 2, Ain’t got no Money: 3, Running Wild: 4, Monday Morning: 5, Better Day: 6, Cool Hand Rider: 7, They Call it Freedom: 8, Man on Fire: 9, (Call it) Stormy Monday [with Rebecca Downes]: 10, King of Rock & Roll: 11, Ordinary Life: 12, Finding my Way: 13, Elevate: 14, Valentina. Encore: 15, Afterglow: 16, Love the One You’re With [Stephen Stills cover].
Words & images: Reg Richardson
