Date/Time Sun 27 Jan 2019 7:45 PM

Price Online - £7 / £9 + booking fee; On The Door - £9

Website: http://www.daveandboo.com/

Dave & Boo have played for us more often than anybody else, and it gives us great pleasure to have them back, with their latest album “Great Pleasure”. Their songs are intelligently constructed, elegantly articulated and never less than entertaining. The mix is eclectic (from folk to jazz to blues to bluegrass) but the songs are at the heart of it all, served by imaginative and stylish arrangements and by the singing and playing of two seasoned, wholly in tune musicians.

Their story began in the 70s when a very young Dave left Liverpool and headed to London with his guitar. He released a solo album in 1973, which was perceived as a classic acoustic guitar record of its time. This led to touring with his hero Bert Jansch as well as achieving national exposure on shows such as The Old Grey Whistle Test and In Concert.

Dave became a regular solo performer at well-known London venues such as the Marquee, the Roundhouse and the Lyceum. He was even listed as “one of the 6 best guitarists in the world” by Melody Maker and opened for many big names of the day including The Edgar Broughton Band at the Rainbow and Rod Stewart and Status Quo at Reading Festival.

Mixing with this kind of musician attracted Dave to a new adventure… to form an electric band called The Reactors. Boo joined on bass and vocals and the two became a solid songwriting team. They were signed to The Police’s management company and they recorded with various name producers, and at one time even Jermaine Jackson (Michael’s brother) took an active interest in them in the States.

In the early 2000s Dave and Boo developed an acoustic act which returned them to their folk club roots. Their debut album as a duo, Maybe I Might Fall, was critically acclaimed and featured a simple acoustic performance. Several albums have been recorded since then, from 2002’s Amber through to Facebook Friend in 2015. The songs are intelligently constructed, elegantly articulated and never less than entertaining, drawing on influences from both the folk world and the rock scene they were involved in for so long. The songs are at the heart of it all, served by imaginative and stylish arrangements and by the singing and playing of two seasoned, wholly in-tune musicians.

“Great Pleasure” is the latest release from the duo, incorporating their fluent style with a familiarity with the recording process that allows them to write and perform at a level every bit the equal of their major-label peers. What’s more, they translate the ambitious playing, singing and songwriting of their studio recordings seamlessly into their live performances, so that whether they are playing at a large festival or a more intimate folk club the audience feels involved and part of a special event. In short, they are the real deal, and “Great Pleasure” is more than worthy of your attention.

The video above was posted by Dusty’s Blues Club, from a gig in May 2018. Here’s something from Dave & Boo’s last TwickFolk appearance in 2016: <iframe width=”356″ height=”200″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/66kp9801-gw” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>