My friend Andy, who runs Ripley Blues up North, has often enthused about the Nimmos, but I had never had the opportunity to hear what all the fuss was about (apart from on CD which doesn't really do them justice).
But last night they played my local venue in Finchley. As soon as their opening number thundered into our collective consciousness, they had another bunch of admirers. What a brilliant band!
The sound system was absolutely spot-on again, and the club was reasonably full so there was a nice atmosphere. None of us regulars had heard the Nimmos before, but there were quite a few cognoscenti who had travelled long distances to get there. And we all went wild! The dynamics were there; the superbly tight rhythm section was there; and Stevie and Alan's top-class guitar and vocals were perfect. What a fantastic band!
The rhythm section comprised Matt Beable on bass and Dave Raeburn on drums, both of whom are well known on the circuit, particularly from the Hoax / Jon Amor / Aynsley Lister bands. What professionals, really enjoying laying down the foundations for the pyrotechnics and sheer brilliance wrung from the guitars by the brothers.
There was such a lovely interplay between the two guitars - generally Stevie playing a Gibson and Alan on Fender. Alan is more of the showman, using occasional wah-wah to enhance his funky sound from time to time, while Stevie seems more of the purist - and what a pure sound he achieves. But Alan can also play pure Gibson, as demonstrated on their pièce de résistance where they play in unison, with left hands on each other's frets. Great showmanship and great, exciting entertainment.
Perhaps the best band yet to have played at the Finchley club, they had everyone's
full attention from beginning to end (including the bar staff) and during the
extremely quiet piece where Stevie's guitar was literally just acoustic, you
could have heard a pin drop. And when they tried to leave, there was a baying
stomping demand for a well-deserved encore. What a great night, what a great
band!
Rob White