Kim Jennett Band / Jeanice Lee - Bannerman’s, Edinburgh 21st October 2023

The bar area of Bannerman’s was pretty full tonight. England were playing South Africa in the Rugby World Cup, that was on the TVs all around the bar, but this is Bannerman’s! People come here for the music, the chat and the whisky. Those were the things that were making the atmosphere in the bar this evening and it was great to see. Doors to the backroom, where all the music happens, opened around 8 o’clock. I wandered through with around 20 others and waited to see what the night was going to give us.

Filling in the support slot tonight was Jeanice Lee (a favourite of fellow Fiend Iain) who, along with guitarist Marco Morelli, appeared just on 8:15 and gave us 45 minutes of acoustic rock. This was the first time I had seen or heard Jeanice and she let us know this was the first time she’d performed an acoustic show at Bannerman’s. Kicking off with a little bit of Chris Issac’s “Wicked Games”; she progressed though a good set of tunes. She took us though some proggy numbers as well as some good old rock n roll. I was struck by Jeanice’s vocal range - she really covered the high notes, low notes and everything in between with huge poise and ability. If there was one thing she could improve on it's her confidence. I lost count of the number of times she said, ‘this could go wrong’ and it never did. I hope Jeanice grabs a bottle of self-belief before she comes on next time, it would not be out of place in her hand.

As her set progressed, her confidence and voice improved. By the time she hit the final number “Fool for your Loving” she was flying as was Marco. His acoustic solos really stuck out and very much underpinned this duo performance. I’ll look forward to seeing Jeanice again, whether in unplugged mode or with a full electric band.

I dived to the bar for a quick pint before tonight’s main event. Now, it's fair to say I wasn’t expecting much, the headliner should have been the support and, if truth be told, I was not planning on coming to this gig until about an hour before I left the house. I texted a mate to let him know who I was seeing. He sent me a one liner back “she’s not shy and retiring, that’s for sure, but she can back it up”. So with these words of encouragement, I took my spot in the room of rock and waited.

The band were setting up and the first thing I noticed was the banter between the bass player and guitarist, always a good thing in my book and certainly left me thinking that they were up for the show.

Just on 9:15 the first roar arrived. Kim, it is fair to say, is not tall but, man, what a voice! She cracked into her first song, “Love Like Suicide”; and we were off. This was to turn into a blazing set. By the third song, the Kim penned, and absolutely fantastic, “Black Mirror”, I was only remined I was not at a full on punk gig because the guitarist did a wee fill here and there, otherwise it was unremitting rock.

Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” made an appearance a couple of songs later. Now, here’s my view. There are some covers that are pretty straightforward for competent singers to take on and there are others that, quite frankly, should be left alone, unless you have utter confidence you can deliver them. “Bulls” was the first of three such cuts that Kim attempted tonight and, like the other two, she absolutely nailed them. I love a bit of Rage and it was great to hear Kim hammer through this song.

Next up, the self-penned “Skin on Skin”. A topper of a track. Followed by another Kim song, “Unbroken”. The second of the hard to do covers came along next. The Cranberries “Zombie” has been murdered on many a karaoke night, but this evening I remembered just how good that song is and the vocal needed to make sound so. Again, a brilliant cut.

By now the temperature was rising. Kim’s long black hair was either sticking to her face or being flung in a long dark arc from front to back as she prowled the stage. This was not, however, a one woman show; the band Kim had along were absolutely smoking. The guitarist, Chris Charles, was outstanding all night. He didn’t play too many solos but when he did they were bang on; the short, bottom end, finger work he put out really suited the show and kept a momentum going. Mart Trail was on bass and he kept the boogie line bashing away all night. He was an outstanding player who really added throat to the gig. Behind it all was Paul White on drums. He was spinning sticks in his paw all night long, smiling as he did so and hitting the drums so hard the stage shook. This was a top band who knew what they had to do to make this hour absolutely rock. It was also nice to see Jeanice Lee front and centre all night, enjoying the headliner too.

Back to the music and, after a short happy birthday to drummer Paul, he took us into “Counts for Nothing” which fair rocked the room. The pace did not give in through the last four tunes. As I listened, I heard a bit of Janis Joplin, some Pat Benatar and drizzle of Joan Jett. Kim’s voice is so good that it does prompt comparison, but I quickly let that one go. Kim Jennett owned the songs she sung tonight, she owned the stage and she certainly owned the voice that was providing tonight’s foot tapping, smiles and cheers. It's easy to make comparisons but Kim is no Stars in the Eyes contestant, she is an original with a very long, and I hope, very successful career ahead.

She finished with that last cover that you should only attempt if you are confident you can nail it. She smashed Led Zep’s “Immigrant Song” to end a fantastic night.

By the time she had said ‘thank you and good night’ Kim and her band had left it all on stage. If she were headlining Donington, I don’t think she could have done more, this was a powerhouse of a performance and a fantastic hour of music.

In the end, just under 50 people come in to see tonight’s show. This was one of those gigs that Bannerman’s is made for, it would have been good for the band and the audience if the room was full. With Royal Blood playing round the corner and Skindred rocking in Glasgow at the same time, it was one of those rare nights where rock fans had to make a choice.

As I wandered off, for a post gig pint, I texted my mate. I simply said, “you were spot on, it's been a brilliant gig”. He replied, “give me more notice next time, I’d love to see her again”. So that’s two tickets sold for next time and it's a night I will very much look forward to.