Jack J Hutchinson Band / Abbie Bell & The High Ryes - Bannerman's, Edinburgh 5th October 2023

The stage area of Bannerman’s was just shy of a modest 25 people, which, for a wet Thursday night in October, wasn’t too bad a turnout.

The show started with ‘Abbie Bell & The High Ryes’. They brought a country rock vibe to the room and were supported by a big group of friends, which was nice to see.

The band were held together by a tight drummer and a very solid bass. The stage at Bannerman’s is a small one. It was made even smaller by the presence of two drum kits - we wondered why both bands didn’t share and make more room.

Abbie had a fantastic voice, which, at points was slightly inaudible due to the mix, but that got sorted as the set progressed. Abbie was accompanied by her roster of guitars, including an Epiphone Les Paul, an acoustic, and what looked to be a white ES 335, with golden Bigsby tremolo bar. Very cool. With great original music, my favourite being ‘We Ended in Nashville’, and covers of songs such as Carrie Underwood’s, ‘Before He Cheats’, it was a fun start to the night.

The next half hour was spent listening to the filler though the PA. There weren’t many songs played as one of them was the 13-minute Pink Floyd song, ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’; an odd, but enjoyable choice for tonight’s audience.

Once the High Ryes drumkit was gone, the stage suddenly looked pretty big for the three-piece Jack J Hutchinson’s band who were now setting up. The backing track ended and we were hit with the opening beats of ‘Don’t let the f***’, which was by far my favourite riff of the night. As soon as it began, Jack’s bearded, poker face turned into one of excitement and clear passion, feeding into the bassist and drummer.

After being met with a charming English accent, which graciously congratulated the opening band, and thanked them for staying on to watch his set, the band got ripped into the setlist, which comprised epic blues rock tunes, favourites of mine including his recent ‘Constellations’ and ‘Hip Slickin’’.

Jack switched between an amber Gibson LP, and a Fender Telecaster, two distinct guitars, that are hard to make sound bad but can be just as difficult to make sound good. Jack had the measure of them and consistently produced some pretty impressive riffs and solos to accompany his music, with stances and shreds which were reminiscent of Slash, of Guns and Roses.

A 5-string bass is usually indicative of someone that can really play, and these expectations were met by the bassist, Charlie Rachael Kay, who had some great chops. Drummer, Phil Wilson, made the beat his own and, together with Charlie, they worked as a tremendous rhythm section that underpinned Jack’s guitaring and songs.

Despite the smaller crowd, there was a solid atmosphere, with great interaction between both the bands and the audience. Those that were there to watch were clearly both knowledgeable and appreciative of the music on show tonight.

I had a quick chat with Jack afterwards and what a nice guy he was. He reminded me that he has been gigging since he was 17 and with a 40th birthday coming up, that means he’s been around longer than I’ve been living. He is getting some play on Planet Rock - that’s great news, but they could still do more to push emerging rock talent across the country. That might drive out more support on a cold Thursday in October.

Tonight was a great night, a small venue, reasonably priced drinks and two great bands for £12.50. If you get a chance to see either of these bands, you should go.