Preview

This show features one of Europe's greatest blues guitarists performing with his incredible band - this extra special performance promises to be full of surprises and abundant in energy!

Todd Sharpville has received many accolades over the years, including beating both Eric Clapton & Gary Moore to "Best Guitarist" in the British Blues Awards, 1995, and winning 'Best Album' for his debut release "Touch Of Your Love" in 1994. His latest album "The Meaning Of Life", which outsold every other European blues release last year, features guests that include ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Leo Sayer, Eugene "Hideaway" Bridges, Snowy White, and Paul Lamb. Todd is also renowned for his charismatic performances, being recently described by the New York Times as the "Bruce Springsteen of the blues!" He has worked over the years with numerous artists ranging from Albert King & Buddy Guy to the likes of Robbie Williams & Geri Halliwell!

Todd's band includes Paddy Milner on keyboards (recently voted Europe's finest blues pianist and endorsed by none other than Jools Holland himself!), and the amazing 'West Coast Horns (who have already been described by Blues In Britain magazine as 'even better than the Memphis Horns'). Be prepared to dance the night away as Todd and his band tear up the Talbot stage!

One of the classiest albums of the year .... Todd's firing on all cylinders .... homegrown guitar star - The Times

Todd Sharpville represents one of out most exciting & classy exports .... Soul, taste, energy & power, he has it all .... Todd is a true bluesman .... a CD with timeless & magical appeal - Blueprint

Review

The first thing you need to understand about Todd is that he inhabits the world as a full-time bluesman, American-style, ladeez'n'gennlemens (none of that regular British blues style here, all faded denim, beer-guts, grey pony-tails, and leaden musicianship); and he quite rightly treats it as a twenty-four/seven undertaking - that means it's a world where ego, image, and braggadocio combine to defeat political correctness and conservative taste hands-down. The self-transformation of this son of a minor peer of the realm (I kid you not) is now complete. Todd has acquired all the necessary attributes: a relentless self-promoter, he takes care of business with admirable energy and zeal, and with a slavish attention to style: the suit, the shades, the hair, the on-stage chain-smoking, and the calculatedly slick stage demeanour all demonstrate that he's absorbed the influences, both musical and aesthetic, of his American peers, with whom he's worked and proved his worth. You don't get to play alongside the likes of Buddy Guy, Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Taj Mahal, and the late Albert King unless you're the real deal. And whatever your reaction to Todd's personal style - a shrinking violet he ain't - he's definitely the real deal.

Final adjustments to the star's hair delayed the arrival of the band somewhat, and the audience was growing restive...but proceedings finally kicked off at 10 p.m., and Todd and his stunning five-piece band launched into a non-stop two-and-three-quarters-hour show which won over a substantial audience, some rather sooner than others - our crowd is perhaps not as universally blues-oriented as Todd is accustomed to, and the uninitiated may have found some of the extended guitar solos in the first section of the set over-long ... but once everyone had digested the Sharpville visual style and downed a couple of beers, the dance floor filled, and the band could do no wrong.

As a guitarist, the man really does hold all the cards - he's taken the full menu of blues styles and phrasing and made them his own, and it's easy to see why he's been consistently showered with critical plaudits and awards; and his singing is surprisingly impressive: rocking yet soulful, and possessed of a fine gritty edge when required. To complement his own talents, he's assembled a band that matches his flair and commitment with their sheer musicianship. Paddy Milner's keyboard work is virtuosic, and Jools Holland's respect for his playing is clearly justified; the sax/trumpet horn section is just fine and dandy, while recent recruit Silvino on bass played a solo that would have made Stanley Clarke gulp. Hugo on drums is a veritable power-house, too, and took the opportunity to show that the much maligned drum solo experience doesn't have to be a mind-numbing one.

The majority of the songs are Todd's own, and are by no means restricted to the 12-bar format - for example, there's a strong Stax/Memphis soul element at play in 'Blues Music' and 'Doghouse', while the minor-key CD title track 'Meaning of Life' has an anthemic vibe to it. The occasional cover, such as 'Sick & Tired', is taken apart and reassembled Sharpville-style to good effect, too.

It was 12.45 a.m. when Todd and the boys finally completed a show that was a greeted with enthusiasm by most - brash, loud, but from a blues perspective, just about as good as it gets this side of the Big Pond. Todd's almost certainly the best current British blues guitar exponent, and if you give him half a chance, he'll waste no time in telling you so. Good for him, that's what I say.