Deborah Bonham - Long Street Blues Club Devizes, 11/04/15

If you’ve not seen Deborah Bonham perform live, expect to laugh, cry and leave full of respect and admiration. After chatting and joking with her audience, she will start singing and an almost unexpected bluesy, soulful, Janis Joplin-like voice comes out. From then on, it’s mesmerising.

Playing at the Long Street Blues Club tonight in Devizes, the show was very cosy. Nevertheless, with a buzzing eager crowd, Deborah’s show was magical.

Performing a mix of songs from her new album ‘Spirit’ along with some older ones from her previous releases ‘Duchess’ and ‘The Old Hyde’, including the emotive title track of the latter written about growing up with her late brother John Bonham (drummer with Led Zeppelin).

Speaking of which, the song ‘No Angel' performed tonight has a strong hint of Zeppelin about it. It is like watching a female Robert Plant in some ways. (It’ll inevitably rub off growing up with such influences.)The quiet intensity behind Deborah’s eyes as she performs is irresistible to watch, passion in every pore, each facial expression telling a story as the next burst of powerful, smokey vocal filled the room. 

She kneeled to the floor tambourine in hand and like a heartbeat, in perfect rhythm with guitarist Peter Bullick and drummer Jimmy Roman she taps in sync while everyone drinks in the moment. Then she’s back up on her feet to pound home the rest of the song, blended with a section of R.E.S.P.E.C.T, which is totally due.

It seems that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, tonight you were from Devizes. Each person was engaged with stories and anecdotes between songs - almost like you were sitting in someone’s living room. The crowd is small which makes you think Deborah isn’t getting half as much credit as she deserves, but this group are in on this well-kept secret which somehow adds to the unique intimacy of the night.

The show finished, after some foot-stomping and cheering encouragement, with an encore of a very sweet ‘For You And The Moon’, again written for her brother. Then, the Led Zep classic ‘Rock and Roll’ which has to be said was done brilliantly and enticed everyone to get up dancing and no doubt reminiscing about gigs gone by.

http://southsonic.co.uk/post/116714112556/deborah-bonham-long-street-blues-club-devizes