Oli Brown Band breathe fresh air into the blues

A new generation of blues musicians are bringing a breath of fresh air to the scene. And firmly at the front of the pack is young Oli Brown, playing a hard, dirty electric blues influenced by artists like Hendrix, BB King, Buddy Guy and John Mayall.

For tonight's gig in Worthing's cavernous Assembly Hall he's brought along the powerful Oli Brown Band - Freddy Hollis on six string bass and absolutely ace drummer Simon Dring. They're an incredibly loud three piece, although Dring's drums are sometimes a little lost, and they're at their best when playing a fat and frantic rocking blues.

Played by the Devil (with a little bit of the Flintstones thrown in) and Open Road are good time rock 'n' rollers, and  Stone Cold (Roxanne) is raw and dirty. It's a highlight of the set - especially when Oli takes the band down low and sings (well, screams) sans microphone. Filling a venue the size of the Assembly Hall with an unamplified voice is quite some trick.

It's just one of the examples of Oli's showmanship, learnt in part from an apprenticeship touring with American blues band Blindog Smokin'. ]

During one song, the whole band pull off a perfect freeze, holding their poses for a full minute before picking up where they left off. And during the first encore, a cover of Blackstreet's No Diggity, Oli goes walkabout, playing as he wanders round the auditorium and getting his guitar right in the faces of a startled-looking crowd.

Of course, there are the obligatory solos too: plenty for frontman Oli who regularly takes to the front edge of the stage, one each for Freddy (perhaps a little too slap-happy) and for Simon, who rattles the whole kit and plays the rims and metalwork as well as the more usual skins.

So the Oli Brown Band give you everything you'd expect and want, with some great showmanship thrown in. Like all the best blues artists, a great night out - and if they're this good this young, watch out as they keep getting better..