Chantel McGregor: To Miss Her Would Be To Miss Out
Published
I heard on the grapevine about Chantel McGregor a while ago and was delighted to have the opportunity to review this prodigious talent at the iconic Band On The Wall in Manchester.
Chantel is one of few musicians, these days, who obviously enjoys a healthy rapport with her flock of followers and maintains a lighthearted dialogue with the audience throughout the set, before and after the show. It was before the show that I had the chance to speak to Chantel and gain an insight into her world, the things that she enjoys and an understanding of the influences in her music.
There have been plenty of reviews outlining Chantel's early years, her awards and achievements so I will concentrate on this performance, and what a performance it was. Not only is this Yorkshire lass an exceptional song writing talent and songstress, but, for one so slight and demure, she can really rock. From the moment she floated, barefoot, in a full length black lacy number, to the final chord of the encore, the audience lapped up an accomplished set of the highest quality. One minute, soft, lazy and acoustic the next, the kind of long, mesmeric guitar breaks you would expect from Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. One minute, soft and sensual lyrics reminiscent of Norah Jones, the next the grungy feel of Royal Blood...
The opener set the tone and showed that Chantel has a rare kind of relationship that empowers her band, knowing that their support adds to the occasion and brings quality to the music. Tonight, we had Keith McPartling on Drums and Colin Sutton on Bass. Keith is an all-action percussionist who knows his stuff and drives the performance with an inimitable style. Colin, one of those bassists who chug along in the background adding depth and support to the scintillating lead guitar. Whether soft, melodic tones, or rocking, punchy deep bass-lines, the 'feel' of his work is essential to the overall ambiance. An unsung hero, in my opinion.
The set was a mixture of old and new. Many of the audience were well versed and sang along with tracks from Chantel's debut album. “Caught Out”, “Like no other”, “Daydream”, ”Fabulous” (a song about drinking cocktails, going out, and lipstick), “Rhiannon”, “Freefalling” (In Chantel's opinion, the first good song she composed at the age of 15) and “I’m No Good For You” ( Inspired by the drama series True Blood), were interspersed with new songs from the forthcoming 'Lose Control' Album, which is scheduled for release on September 7th featuring a collection of Chantel's own songs, photography and cover art.
The new tracks I am informed, were inspired by Chantel's penchant for spending time relaxing in her shed watching Netflix. This is a theme which has spilled over from the first album. “Burn Your Anger” (Gone Girl), “Lose Control” (True Blood), “Killing Time” (Dexter), and the magnificent “Anaesthetize” (True Detective) are joined by “Home” (a song about Bradford and not being lost) “Southern Belle”, “Your Fever” (about a heat-wave and being hot), “Walk On Land” (Nothing Changing) and the encore, “Take The Power” (Satanic Cults).
The only non-album track was my own favourite Stevie Nicks song “Landslide”, which Chantel agreed to play for me as a special request.
I can honestly say that the whole evening was a real pleasure. If you love raunchy R&B, soul and blues guitar, Chantel McGregor is a must for you. Her current tour continues throughout the UK until the end of October and I would advise you not to miss it. To miss it would be to seriously miss out. These are not simple live versions of the album tracks, these are the true versions delivered with a passion rarely seen in these days of samples and overdubs.
Words and photos by Mark Eastwood
For more information on Chantel McGregor, click here.
To visit her Facebook page, clickhere.
