It’s always nice to watch bands in a busy venue, and by the time I make it into the Academy 2, tonight’s support band Wille and The Bandits are already a good way into their set. Glancing round, it is indeed a near full house and it’s great to see. It’s also great to see these chaps having a blast up on the stage creating a wonderful atmosphere for everyone. Singer and frontman; ironically called Wile, is busy wringing some lovely sounds from his lap steel guitar and the crowd are thoroughly enjoying their powerhouse set. It’s good ol’  foot stomping, sing-a-long old fashioned bluesy rock n roll that immediately lifts your mood, raises the spirit and makes you want to look up their 6 albums worth of material, and, of course put a reminder in your diary for their own headline tour in March at the Deaf Institute as a must see. They’re great fun and captivating to watch, with lots of lovely textures and layers interweaving through tunes like ‘Judgement Day’, ‘Four Million Days’, ‘Good Stuff’ and 1’970.’ The Hammond organ and lap steel adds such dynamics to their style it’s impossible not to be suitably impressed, and as their superb last tune ‘Bad News’ brings a rousing cheer from the crowd, it’s a case of job well done for the Cornish boys and a great start to the evening.

There’s always one way you can describe Samantha Fish, and that’s both sass and class. As a large cheer echoes round when the house lights go down and she and her 3 piece band take to the stage, how many people do you know that can plug in a cigar box guitar, wring the utter nuts off it whilst looking like the coolest ultimate biker chick? Exactly, there you have it, and as ‘Bulletproof’ kicks the set off with nothing short of a bomb up the arse of the packed house you just know this is a special kind of gig and one that undoubtedly should be fully savoured to appreciate.

Dressed head to foot in black leather, with the tassels from her jacket occasionally stroking the strings, the peroxide blonde Samantha cuts the ever enigmatic figure, almost Marilyn Monroe esq, oozing glamour upon the stage. Tonight it’s all about these rescheduled dates in support of her latest album Faster. After swapping her cigar box for an SG, she heads off into that album with ‘All Ice’, ‘No Whiskey’ and then first single ‘Twisted Ambition’. The new album takes her off into more unfamiliar territory, exploring new ground and incorporates bits of pop, hip hop and R&B, and this mid tempo rocker is crammed full of fiery guitar and her trademark exceptional vocals.  Boy, can she play that bloody thing well, and with a career now spanning over 10 years, she is probably one of the most talked about artists in her genre at the moment with her blistering live performances. ‘Love Letters’ from “Kill or Be Kind” builds nicely into the 2017 album title track ‘Chills and Fever’ which shows her beautiful vocal control to perfection with the sultry, smoky almost jazz club vibe which lends an ear toward Amy Winehouse and it’s a killer. We’re taken back to the current release with ‘Forever Together’ and ‘Better be Lonely’, both capturing the blend of different influences brilliantly with the commercial infectious latter tune being a future single surely? Samantha Fish cuts the Chanteuse figure to perfection. Her husky, smoky atmospheric vocals are just as important to her overall sound as her trademark guitar tone, of which she slips effortlessly between various choices of weapon this evening. As it is indeed a Sunday evening she makes references to the traditional Sunday roast enjoyed by us English folk. Sounding rather hillbilly in her trademark Midwest Missouri drawl it raises a smile amongst the peasants. It’s getting warm in the crowd; we’re having fun with the foot stomping awesome display up there.  It also highlights just what an incredible band she has put behind her. These tunes need the kind of push and drive she demands and drummer Sarah Tomek, bassist Ron Johnston and keyboardist Matt Wade deliver in bucket loads.

There’s still plenty of time left to deliver ‘Kill or Be Kind’ and ‘Watch It Die’ before the rousing ‘Bitch on The Run’ and the explosive cover of the old Teri Thornton tune ‘Either Way I Lose’ before the phenomenal ‘Black Wind Howlin’ building to a crashing crescendo, ending the night to rapturous cheers.

It’s been an incredible evening; an hour and twenty disappears just like that. It shows exactly why she is held in such high regards by her peers and fans alike worldwide. She constantly pushes boundaries, demonstrating her uniqueness in every sense. The loud cheer rumbling around resonates enough for Fish, the band and of course that cigar box to return for a superb romp with Bukka White’s ‘Shake ‘Em On Down’. As the house lights go back up the evening was indeed all about savouring every minute and probably the best way to experience a master class of such perfection. As we head to the exits one chap comments why have people not heard of her more? God only knows but there’s no doubting that they will sometime soon- they simply have too.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!