It’s December, it’s dark, it’s cold and it’s winter. Each year Tom Blackwell returns to this setting at the Blue Sky Cafe in Bangor, North Wales to hold his annual festive gig.

It’s been a good five years since I’ve had the pleasure of watching him play live and the setting is almost identical. Blue Sky Cafe is a beautiful, homely, atmospheric venue with a wood burning stove, candles and comfy sofas. As soon as I head into the venue I bump into Tom, we catch up and then I head upstairs, waiting on toms arrival. The setting is perfect for this time of year. Scarf, coat and gloves are off now that I’m in the warmth of the cafe.

Tom comes upstairs dressed almost identical to when I saw him five years ago, same hair style and clothing, time has been good to him. This is no weekend rock star, Tom is the real deal.

He tunes his guitar, picks up his harmonica and blows a note, puts it back and selects another one from his array of harmonicas. From the very first strum of his guitar and when that first vocal hits you know instantly you are watching something truly special and everyone else in the room knows it too. The room is completely silent except for the sound of Tom playing, everyone is stunned into silence by his amazing talent. I look around the room and see people who have been to his gigs before and I gage the faces of those who are watching him for the first time and they are instantly mesmerised.

In between each song he gives us a bit of comedy in his interactions, at times we could almost be watching a stand up comedian. I used to think he was purposely trying to make us laugh but I realise now he doesn’t even know he is being funny.

He bursts into his first set opening up with songs from his LP ‘Tom Blackwell is Tyrone The Gun’ then breaks into a short festive album, now it really feels like Christmas with Tom playing the ‘Jingle Bells’ melody on his harmonica, a really fun vibrant opening to his set.

He opens his second set saying ‘Glad we got that festive nonsense out of the way, I promise it will get better from here.’ Totally oblivious to the fact that he has already completely blown everyone away. Now it starts to get serious as he breaks into more songs from the LP ‘Tyrone The Gun’,’ songs from his numerous ‘Memphis’ LPs and some of his old school classics with one of my favourite songs ever written ‘Walking Like a Peacock’ being one of the best songs I have ever seen someone perform live. It’s still one of his greatest songs, it’s got all of his characteristics and qualities all in one. A great story, its humorous, the dynamics are enormous, each time he performs it, it is truly phenomenal.

His vocal performance is outrageous. On one of the songs he stops and says ‘Shit I forgot the lyrics’ everyone is in stitches, but he is so good he is instantly forgiven, he has the audience in the palm of his hands. It doesn’t even seem out of place, almost like it is part of the set. Again a comedic moment of brilliance which displays his character. By the end of these songs he has blown everyone away tenfold he ends the set by inviting to stage a young boy to accompany him to do a duet, they sit on two chairs and play a beautiful, intimate closing song with a trumpet solo from the young boy which really adds to the festive feeling, the perfect ending to a perfect evening. Tom Blackwell is one of the best performers on the circuit, he is truly amazing.

Scott Marsden
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