  Guide toSA Artists in London BILLYGOAT & DELTA BLUE It must have been the ongoing foot and mouth problem in England that kept people away from seeing Billygoat tonight as there was a mere sprinkling of people on the dance floor. However those that sprinkled did so to some fine rock and blistering blues. Looking vaguely like Freddie Mercury, Parri, the lead singer for Billygoat, seemed at ease on stage, at times showing hints of the showmanship that made his look-a-like so famous, but stopping well short of parading around on stage in a pair of shorts. Ably backed by some thundering bass, slick guitar work and pounding drums, he lead us through some heated rock, smouldering blues and a touch of Red Indian tinged country rock. An impressive set from a band who are surely destined for bigger and better things. However, Billygoat were merely the lighting of the blues touch paper as they were quickly followed by Delta Blue on stage. Lead singer Gerald Clarke had borrowed Dave Ornellas' (from Hawk) haircut for the evening, but this wild (Shepherd's?) bush of red hair did little to detract from the hardcore blues that pulsated from the stage. Close your eyes and you're in some smokey joint somewhere in the deep south near the Mississippi Delta circa 1940. Open then and you're in a smokey Walkabout watching some ou's from the deep south circa 2000. A highly charged set, nicely rounded off with a blistering version of "Johnny B Goode" that made Chuck Berry's (original) version sound like a Spice Girl cover. Despite the inaptitude of the sound engineer (which did detract slightly from the talent on show) and the poor attendance (although there were some non South Africans in the audience who responded positively), judging by those around me and the knowing smile on my own face, we had a blast. Back to Archive Index Page
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