Another of my revived reviews originally poster elsewhere, heading back to a time when The Fermain Tavern became the heart of something of a revived blues scene in the islands with what I think was the Guernsey debut of a certain Robert J. Hunter as part of Alderney’s Rawcuz Crowzz (sorry for the lack of photos from this show, they seem to have been lost in time)…

Over the years The Fermain Tavern has gained a reputation as being one of Guernsey’s premier live music venues and on 16th of August 2008 this was marked by the unveiling of a selection of photographs celebrating the history of performances at the pub, from Elton John to The Risk.

But it was live music most had gathered for, as it was time for another ‘Bluez Crewz’ night at the Tav.

First on the bill were a band from Alderney, The Rawcuz Crowzz.

Formed late last year, and with a drummer who only started playing late last year, they played their own unique style of nu-blues clearly influenced by bands like the White Stripes as well as more traditional blues acts.

Playing as a three-piece, without a bass, led to some moments of their music feeling somewhat sparse but the guitar and harmonica did their best to cover any gaps and with Derek Williams natural banter and blues vocals they put on a strong show for their Guernsey debut.

The most impressive thing about the band was their spirit of almost a DIY punk ethos playing blues.

Following them came Spoonful who, as ever, played a great show thanks to the four great musicians who form the band, however as sometimes seems to happen I got the impression tonight that a lot of the time they were a band serving Joe Corbin as ‘front man’.

That is not necessarily a bad thing as Joe is a very talented young performer, but it occasionally gives an awkward feel to the performance.

This awkwardness though was dissipated by the extended jam sections where the whole band seemed to gel effortlessly into one blues driven unit which everyone seemed to get into.

With only a few gigs left with Joe I have to wonder where Spoonful will go next but for now they remain a great explosion of raw blues.