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GLENN HUGHES, The Junction, Cambridge Photos by Noel Buckley
In 2011 Glenn Hughes is keeping himself more busy than ever. With the success of the supergroup Black Country Communion last year putting Hughes' name back to the forefront and with a new album from that band imminent, you would think that Glenn Hughes would be taking some valuable time out.
For the last
decade or so Glenn Hughes has a new revamped zest for life making up for
those lost years to drug/alcohol addiction that ran through from the mid
seventies right through to the tail end of the eighties. Today, Hughes
is thinner, healthier, and sounding better than ever before.
He plays
the bass so hard that I'm surprised there is still some red paint
clinging onto it. His voice is incredible and is rightly dubbed the
'Voice of Rock' , each scream would turn heads in the bird section at
London Zoo. With a Black Country Communion tour around the corner including a spot at the High Voltage Festival, Glenn Hughes spends his spare time keeping his solo career afloat with a eleven date UK tour, this time playing in different town and cities to which he performed only last Autumn which means this time London gets a miss which is the reason why I have made the trip to Cambridge on a Sunday night.
The touring band is the same one as last year with Dane Soren Anderson on guitar and fellow Scandinavians from Sweden keyboardist Anders Olinder and drummer Pontus Engborg (Who once shared a stage with Hughes favourite Stevie Wonder.) Behind the band is a banner which proclaims 'Built To Last' and Glenn Hughes hits the stage like an immortal man possessed firing on all cylinders thumping the notes on his Bill Nash 57 P Bass. He plays the bass so hard that I'm surprised there is still some red paint clinging onto it. His voice is incredible and is rightly dubbed the 'Voice of Rock', each scream would turn heads in the bird section at London Zoo.
Just
before embarking on a UK tour Glenn Hughes was in town to
promote the launch of his new autobiography 'Deep Purple &
Beyond: Scenes From The Life Of A Rock Star'. The event was
held at the Idea Generation Gallery in Shoreditch in part of
the Old East End of London not too far from Brick Lane and
Spitafields Market. The Idea
Generation has been holding quite a few exhibitions recently
that maybe of interest to the rock fraternity, namely The
Clash, the Doors, photographer Mick Rock, Syd Barratt's
artwork and the designs of Storm Thorgerson.
The event
was an invite only, but fans who had pre-ordered the book
were also invited along.The usual media suspects were here
including GRTR! plus Marillion's Steve Rothery and Richard
Cole - a dapper looking gent who was most feared when he was
Led Zepellin's tour manager between 1968-80.
Complimentary drinks were on offer and the Robert Mondavi
Merlot was going down fine making me appreciate the artwork
on the walls in a more subtle way. Encased on
a glass table was the new book on the life of Glenn. I
later managed to skip through a copy, which featured some
great unseen photographs with plenty of memorabilia.
The book
was written with the help of respected journalist Joel
McIver whose work includes the best selling 'Justice For
All:The Truth About Metallica'. 'Deep Purple & Beyond:Scenes
From The Life Of A Rock Star' is available in Signature and
Deluxe version and later in the year a paperback edition
will be on sale for those with smaller pockets. At a quick
glance I can say it's a must have item for any connoisseur
Glenn Hughes fan. After a
quick introduction from Joel McIver, Glenn Hughes came on
stage with only an acoustic guitar to keep him company as we
listened intently. Playing a few songs from his long career
in chronological order starting with his days in Trapeze
with a dreamy 'Coast To Coast'.
His time
in Deep Purple was represented with 'Holy Man' a track he
wrote with David Coverdale in 1974 from the 'Stormbringer'
album. Glenn then spoke a little about his time in Purple
which resulted in him losing a girlfriend to a member of the
band, but I won't drum on about which member. Hughes
mentioned that everything in life happens for a reason. A
rarely performed 'I Found A Woman' from his post Purple solo
offering 'Play Me Out' was a joy to hear. Hughes
drug addiction has been well documented over the years and
is in much more detail in the book, today Hughes thanks the
higher one whether that is God, Buddah or Allah who is
looking over him, Glenn Hughes is just thankful for his new
fondness of life.
Moving on
a few decades for his 'First Underground Nuclear Kitchen'
from 2008 we got to hear the premiere live performance of
'Too Late To Save The World' followed by a real treat:
a new track from the forthcoming 'Black Country Communion 2'
album. 'Cold' was an intricate absorbing number with
many time changes and I can't wait to hear the full album
version once Bonamassa gets his hands on this. Afterwards
Glenn Hughes mingled for over an hour having the time for
anybody who wanted to share a word or to have their
photgraph taken. Myself? I had my eye on that wine...
At one
point someone shouts out to Hughes ''Have a beer!'' to which Hughes
replies that he doesn't even drink beer these days, ''A real man drinks
water...but I applaud anyone who can drink all night and get up for work
at 7am.'' That's me in the clear then. Highlights were many, his time in Deep Purple was kept to a minimum with a good helping of Trapeze, the first band he found success with. Opening up with 'Muscle And Blood' a powerful number from the fan favourite 'Hughes/Thrall' album. From then on, the energy stayed throughout. 'Orion' shakes the building as if Godzilla is approaching, Soren Anderson plays a great guitar intro like a delicate Blackmore which leads nicely into Purple's 'Sail Away' which once again features some heavy funky bass.
No BCC material is on offer but we do get a mesmerizing 'Medusa' which first featured on a Trapeze album of the same name. There was some more Trapeze delights with 'Keepin' Time' which showed the prowess of the whole band including a neck-breaking drum solo from Enborg followed by a great instrumental workout from the whole band. At one point someone shouts out to Hughes ''Have a beer!'' to which Hughes replies that he doesn't even drink beer these days, ''A real man drinks water...but I applaud anyone who can drink all night and get up for work at 7am.''. That's me in the clear then.
Songs like
'You Got Soul' and 'Can't Stop The Flood' have so much more dimension in
the live setting, 'Stormbringer' and 'Soul Mover' brought the show to a
crushing crescendo before the encores of 'Addiction' and a rip roaring
'Burn'. The time flew by at this gig. Hughes was on fire tonight. Review and interview by Mark Taylor Photos by Noel Buckley
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