Robin Trower Live at the O2 Academy, Sheffield on Friday 16 September 2011

Another great show on the road with the brand new Trower power trio, this time, in South Yorkshire! And to think, this is only the fifth gig that Robin, Chris and Richard have played together.

As it turned out, their job was made a tad easier by the Sheffield crowd, an entire roomful of enthusiastic fans, who simply couldn’t keep quiet, their appreciation bursting out all evening in the form of applause, wails and whistles not just in between, but during the numbers too.

This reaction clearly lifted the band’s spirits and, with it, the performance on the night. Indeed, at one point, Robin said “Sheffield eh? We’ll have to come here more often”!

The highlights came fast and furious. The band thundered through Twice Removed From Yesterday with Chris leading the charge forward with great power, crashing his cymbals throughout and, towards the end, rolling his snare with such military precision that it sounded like he was about to break the sound barrier.

Entirely apt that this Playful Heart tour should feature something from the said, latest Trower CD, tonight’s rendition of The Turning went down an almost storm. Robin’s solo, in the déploration (très calme) section at the end, was simply out of this world.

The pace on the outro to Too Rolling Stoned was a little slower than usual, no bad thing given the tempestuous set, up to that point. Anyway, the result was a quite different vibe, much freer, looser, a purple mood wonderfully exacerbated by Robin’s babbling solo of gobbled, blues soaked notes.

Keeping it all together, Richard’s playing and singing just got better and better as the set went sailing by. Vocally he is able to cover the full range of moods with ease from the snarling, gruff rough of Confessin Midnight all the way through to the poetic, smooth stuff on Daydream. This is no easy feat in a three-piece, when you are playing bass at the same time. A big thank you to Alan, Laurie, Alex and all the crew!
 

Set List: Confessin’ Midnight; Lady Love; Somebody Calling; For Earth Below; The Strangest Thought; Twice Removed From Yesterday; Day of the Eagle; Bridge of Sighs; Rise Up Like The Sun; The Turning; Too Rolling Stoned; Little Bit of Sympathy. Encores: Not Inside Outside; Daydream

Editor’s Note: Although I didn’t have time to linger, it was great to be back in Sheffield, the city which made steel its own. As the sun came up on Saturday morning, I took the simple stroll from the city centre back to the railway station and couldn’t help but feel inspired by the wonderful things happening here: Brash new buildings such as Electric Works and Ventana House; the continuing regeneration of Park Hill; the stunning new street scene, steel sculptures and water features at the front of the station. Yes, I must get here more often!