Dom Martin adds his name to the ‘classic live’ album list. Electric and acoustic blues in abundance.

Release Date: 12th December 2024

Label: Forty Below Records

Format: CD / digital

We had the pleasure of a first encounter with Dom Martin at The Met back in ’22 when he supported Eric Gales. His debt to the great Rory Gallagher is well defined and there’s more than a hint of the great man’s influence on Dom. However, he’s very much his own man, particularly in the live arena and here’s the evidence.

The double album showcases both electric and acoustic recordings captured at various venues across Europe and the UK, offering fans a collection of songs spanning all three of Dom’s original studio albums. Gone are the days when someone would dare accuse Dom of being a Judas. Aside from receiving his wrath, said listener simply needs to listen to and appreciate the quality of bluesy offerings on show, whatever the instrument they’re being played on.

CAMEO

There’s a cameo from Elles Bailey’s pal, Miss Sparkles herself Demi Marriner, theirs is an acoustic take of the brooding version of Daylight I Will Find that opens the album. The song of a long road to ruin gets a slightly more stripped back and stark arrangement with Demi’s barely there, subtle decorations. Typical of the arrangements that shift from the relaxed vibe that oozes from the acoustic cuts to the intense passion associated with the thing they call The Blues.

ACOUSTIC GEMS

Government adds a lazy (or should it be easy) late night, John Martyn feel. A vibe that’s in sharp contrast to the “you make me sick to my stomach” lines. It’s one of several of the acoustic takes which are, to a man, are a delight. The guitar dexterity and tumble of notes in the Easy Way Out/Belfast Blues and 12 Here Comes The River/12 Gauge medleys is essential listening. In fact, on the evidence of Buried Alive, the acoustic date sin May are an absolute must.

Lefty Two Guns on the other hand, is the sort of pure blues that fits the ‘slow and ponderous’ (but with feeling) stereotypical view. A view that can’t be pointed at Dom Martin, it’s not a style that hangs around for long. Uptempo and pacey offerings see Howlin’ shuffle along breezily in an almost jazzy groove before shifting gear into a blistering solo passage. One of several that ensures that the cake is never over-egged. None of the age old formula of effortlessly finding a way to slip a solo into each song.

FEARSOME BLAST

Excellent slide on Gauge that’s a fearsome blast and a sign that things are warming up and the amps fizzing. One of those tracks where you can almost smell the electricity and see the sweat dripping onto the valves. For a more indulgent workout, Belfast Blues does the business while Dixie Black Hand and Unhinged have the band channelling some scuzzy Hendrix-ish rawness.

A live album that shows Dom Martin, as with most musicians, in his natural environment, but an album that’s a model for spotlighting that the Blues genre has a rich variety to offer.

Here’s Unhinged with a suitable apt video. As Dom says: “Everything about the song is unhinged from the beginning to the end. Bare chested and raw for all to enjoy.”

Upcoming 2025 Dates
 
Jan 29: London, Dingwalls
Jan 30: Lincoln, The Drill
Feb 1: Blackpool (Festival Headline) 
 
UK Acoustic Dates:
 
Jan 31: Blackpool (Festival Headline)
April 30: Edinburgh, The Caves
May 1: Newcastle, Wylam Brewery
May 2: Liverpool, Royal Philharmonic Music Rooms
May 3: Manchester, Carole Nash Hall
May 6: Bath, Chapel Arts
May 7: London, Half Moon
May 8: Cranleigh, Cranleigh Arts
May 9: Leamington Spa, Temperance

Dom Martin online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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