Here at Clash, we pride ourselves on unearthing a quite staggering amount of fresh talent and newbie underground sensations for all you fine people to enjoy.
However, being such a maverick – or loose cannon, if you prefer – I also enjoy the otherworldly pleasures of indulging in tunes of a more classic nature from time to time, and generally stirring things up a bit. Hence, taking a break from nosebleed techno and eye-watering electro, I set off to review blues legend Eric Clapton.
Think what you will, but go off and listen to ‘White Room’ and ‘Strange Brew’ by Cream – Clapton’s old psyche/blues-rock outfit – before you cast judgement…
And so it was that I found myself in the illustrious surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, watching the man himself, complemented – of course – by a ridiculously tight and talented band and some wonderfully soulful backing singers. These days, Clapton has wholeheartedly embraced the blues, revelling in the freeform nature of the genre, and rightly so – his command of the fretboard is as strong as ever, and he can still effortlessly knock out licks that most guitarists would sacrifice their own family and favourite Fender for.
The set begins with some covers that allow for plentiful jamming and general impressive soloing from all, followed by an acoustic section, which sees things take a more melodic turn. Proceedings are then finished off with a hugely well-received selection of classics, including ‘Layla’, ‘Cocaine’ and a ruffed-up version of ‘Badge’, before an encore which ends with – what else – Delta blues legend Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’, opening the door for a final cascade of masterful blues-drenched wailing guitars.
Fine work indeed, and anyone who can pretty much sell-out the Albert Hall for eleven nights at a time certainly gets my nod of approval any day.
