This double-header Punk Rock Blues night at Norwich Arts Centre actually made it an evening of three headline acts at NAC as a little earlier there was a short-notice secret gig for Labour Party members in Norwich with a set by Billy Bragg.  This pushed the start time back a little but everyone was accommodating and no-one was going to be feeling tired with the later finish as some loud and dirty garage blues rock would be guaranteed to keep everyone on their toes.

First on were The Bonnevilles from Northern Ireland.  Quite by chance I bumped into drummer Chris at the Festival Gardens a bit earlier when he commented on my Guadalupe Plata t-shirt. I knew then it was going to be a great gig!

I loved the spirit of this duo and their garage punk sound, some great guitar and drums getting this portion of the evening off to a fine start, despite a few technical issues with the guitar amp.   They were energetic, passionate and with some great songs including a cover which gave a nod to the great RL Burnside.

There was a fine assortment of tempting fare on their merch stall, including vinyl but I was unfortunately a bit cash-strapped.  I’ll definitely be checking out their recorded works though. Such genuinely lovely and likeable people they are too.

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A post shared by Richard Shashamane (@rshashamane) on May 22, 2017 at 6:10am PDT

This was my third time seeing James Leg, and in a third venue after that legendary gig for Jug Jaw’s Beat Club, and his storming set at Red Rooster last year.  Again, a duo with a huge sound, crashing drums and that gloriously evil, grungey sound he gets from those keys.  The 45 minute set passed all too quickly but it’s difficult to see how Leg could give any more. Each time I’ve seen him he’s been drenched in sweat within a song or two, it’s like some kind of exorcism, the playing is incredibly passionate and intense …. and brilliant!

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A post shared by Richard Shashamane (@rshashamane) on May 21, 2017 at 10:07am PDT

I was also covering this particular gig for Outline Magazine and you can read my review here.

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@RShashamane

http://www.outlineonline.co.uk/content/james-leg-the-bonnevilles/live-reviews-/120145/2486

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http://www.facebook.com/James-Leg-114197558646461/

http://www.punkrockblues.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/PunkRockBlues

http://www.thebonnevilles.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/thebonnevillesUK/

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Norwich: Music City, UK