Mojo Buford, The Cluny, Newcastle 22.4.08

This was Mojo Buford's first visit to Newcastle and an evening of high quality Chicago Blues was expected by the sizable audience.

After an indifferent support act the show proper started. Mojo's band, consisting of guitarist Tommy Allen, drummer Doug McMinn and bassist Chris Lomas appeared and assaulted the audience with a noisy 35 minute set of bog-standard Blues/Rock complete with oodles of overblown guitar-twaddle and twang.

This opening salvo left many of us wondering how the ageing (and ailing) Mojo Buford would be able to follow. Mojo eventually took to the stage to warm applause. Seated on a chair in the middle of the stage Mojo, singing and playing harp through the same mic, presented a selection of Chicago Blues standards which leaned heavily on the material of his old boss, Muddy Waters.

Sadly, Mojo is a spent force. His voice is fine but age and ill health have robbed him of the strength to play harp with much of the skill and power he once had. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe anyone expected to see Mojo leap around the stage blowing the blues like a young man of twenty. The audience expected, not unreasonably, to see and hear Mojo Buford play the music for which he is renowned, backed by a band that understood his music and who were capable of the subtlety and restraint required to deliver the goods without stealing the limelight. 

However, somebody should have told the band that this was Mojo Buford's gig. Instead, this seemed to be 'The Tommy Allen Show'. Whenever Mojo ran out of lung power he gave the guitarist a solo while he recovered. This gave Allen the excuse to play loud, lengthy and long in a style far removed from the understated power of Chicago Blues. In fact the guitarist dominated proceedings all night; filling every gap with inappropriate fret-waffle. At times it seemed that guitarist and drummer where in competition to see who could play faster, louder. Mojo was often almost totally drowned out. These kinds of performances get Blues a bad name.

Mojo and the band were totally mismatched. Mojo needed sympathetic backing and only bassist Chris Lomas tried to provide this. It was heart-breaking to see an artist like Mojo Buford treated so dis-respectfully and those responsible really ought to be ashamed.

I have subsequently spoken to people who attended Mojo's other gigs in both Keighley and York and they relayed almost identical stories.

It is very sad that Mojo's farewell tour should be so marred, let's hope we never see it happen again to another artist.

Now, please bear in mind that this is a very restrained report of my (and lots of other peoples) feelings about this gig. I just wanted more people to know how awful this show was and who's fault this was. It's even more sad since Mojo has since been taken to hospital and, the last I heard was very ill.

Any thoughts are welcome.