The Black Heart is situated on Greenland Place, in one of London's myriad of back streets, and is the perfect music venue to play host to Miraculous Mule. Why? Because the acoustics are so good in the upstairs bar that while this might not the largest of venues, the sound quality is spot on throughout the gig.
Miraculous Mule are playing here tonight as a launch party for their new mini album, 'Blues Uzi', which is being released shortly, although for lucky gig goers, there were copies on sale at the venue, along with a cool new range of t-shirts.
Opening the proceedings was SANDY DILLON, the American singer/ songwriter, whose last album 'Shipwrecked' was released in 2003, and who plays a unique style of alternative blues, using a variety of instruments, and who has one of the best gravelly voices since Tom Waits! 'Shipwrecked' is available as a download from iTunes.
Then it was time for MIRACULOUS MULES to hit the stage. In the three months or so since I last saw them, they've added several great new numbers to the set, but strangely, only played one new track, the title track 'Blues Uzi' from the new mini album. Hopefully, the other excellent tracks on the new release will soon make it into the set list.
Opening with 'Downbound Train', which has sort of become their signature into, the band plays a brilliant set of heavy blues and gospel blues to a packed crowd. One of the highlights of the evening for me was 'Evil On My Mind', which is taken from their last album 'Deep Fried', but this was the first time that I'd seen it played live, and it was a storming version, significantly louder and heavier than the album but still seething with intensity, and was the stand out moment of the gig.
|
New tracks, such as the speedy 'Shave 'Em Dry', which I think is based upon a Lucille Bogan dirty blues track dating from 1935, and the excellent 'Don't Look For Mercy In Their Eyes' fitted in perfectly.
Encoring with a magnificent version of their single 'Satisfied', the band put on a terrific show, which evidences the fact that they are the best blues power trio around today, and no-one can touch them. Satisfied? You bet I was.
'Blues Uzi' is available to pre-order from: - Miraculous Mule online
|
