Pat McManus at the Bowery Waterford 28 Sept 2007

To start for those of you who don't know who Pat McManus is, he was in a band called Mama's Boys in the 70's/80's. They toured with Thin Lizzy and The Scorpions, they had a big hit single with "Needle in the Grove". After Mama's Boys went there separate ways Pat played in a trad outfit known as Celtus. As well many others.

Anyway Pat and his current band Hi-Voltage were playing in the Bowery on the above date. He was releasing his new album called "In My Own Time". I'll start with the gig. Pat is I suppose what you would call "old school". While the sound from the microphones was a bit off. What comes through is his passion and love for music. Even on that small stage with between 100-200 people in attendance. He played like he was headlining Slane or some other massive rock festival in front of fifty thousand plus fans. It is easy to see why Pat is mentioned in the same breath as other more widely known great Irish guitarists. When he's on stage he just gets lost in what he's playing. What it comes across as is that there is him and his guitar, and he's making the guitar talk.

The band are great as well, but its hard to shine when such a huge shadow is cast. The drummer played a short solo at the end very reminiscent of the one in Sha-La-La on Thin Lizzy's "Live and Dangerous" album. It was played flawlessly with slight embellishments that showed he was comfortably able to play at that level. Preceding that that Pat played a medley of comprised of his older material and it was unreal. Hearing soaring lead guitar against a trad backing track is an experience not to be missed if you have the chance and interest.Now on to the album.

The album is great, maybe even brilliant. Listening to it reminded me of the first time I heard the blues powered rock of Led Zeppelin. From "Got that Right" to "Just for Shannon" the album is the blues. There are two tracks that deserve special mention. "Juggernaut" is a wall of sound that echo's live and still retains its power on the CD. Its great to hear the fiddle in the middle as well showcasing his past with when he played in Celtus. Secondly "Return of the G Man" a song written in tribute to Rory Gallagher is a slower, more melodious affair that shows Pat's talent for lyrics. One line sticks in my mind

"And He Tattooed the blues down in to your soul and left you burning with a passion that never let you go"

The song also contains one of the best acoustic solos that I've ever heard and really shows how great acoustic solos can be when done right. The album is blues rock no ifs or buts, it's the best album I've heard since I heard the Answer back in April/May.

Speaking of the Answer they also deserve a mention in the blues rock category. Their debut album "Rise" absolutely blew me away. It's amazing how four lads from Northern Ireland can sound so much like the juggernaut that was Led Zeppelin on their debut album. I would like to say they are going to reach the heights Led Zeppelin reached but given current trends in the music industry, its unlikely that any band will reach the super-superstar status that bands like Led Zeppelin, The Police and The Rolling Stones reached. Hopefully they will be successful though because if the first album is anything to go by they have the talent to have a long and distinguished career, whether in the mainstream or not.