Friday 13th proved far from unlucky as Taf Rock headed east to Leicestershire and witnessed the rare southerly migration of Scottish bison who came in search of new grazing pastures
WORDS: Taf Rock IMAGES: Eloise Harris
A brief word about our hosts tonight. Nestled in the middle of the tiny village of Diseworth, Leicestershire – home to approximately 660 people – lies the village hall, home to Diseworth Blues Club. A club formed in 2020, gigs started in earnest post pandemic in July 2021. Since then the club has garnered itself quite a reputation, indeed this very week it has been listed as a Top 5 nominee in the Club/Venue of The Year by the UK Blues Federation. The club is all seated, upon arrival I was shown to my table by organiser Martyn Berridge. Refreshments are served by means of table service thus avoiding the inane chatter that can plague smaller venues. The audience is roughly split 50:50 between locals and blues fans from outside the area, quite a few familiar faces from the blues loving community are evident tonight. This was my first experience of Diseworth tonight, thank you, I left suitably impressed. Good luck with the awards.
Scottish quintet Bison Hip (Paul Sloway vocals, John Gilmour Smith guitar, Steven Radziwonik keys, Graeme Carswell bass and Malcolm Button drums) don’t venture this far south very often and greet the audience with a declaration …. Welcome To The Rest Of Your Life. Gilmour Smith’s opening riff combined with Sloway’s steady intro eases us into the set before Button’s solid drums introduce the beefed up rocky sound of the full band. Sloway reels off those unique lyrics with ease and clarity – ‘I need another guru like a hole in the head’ whilst waves of keys immerse the audience carrying with them vocal na-na chants. Hold on for dear life as Button gleefully attacks the drums signalling the arrival of Parasite. Funky and furious keys, wild guitar licks. An animated Sloway dances a jig onstage whilst Gilmour Smith and Carswell provide backing vocals. The audience are loving this already as the band rock out. Slowing things down we jump back to debut album Older Stronger Better and melodic tune The One That Got Away. Carswell a bedrock on bass, the keys and harmonies of all three vocalists providing a beautiful soundscape.
The dramatic intro to Everything That Came Before … Was Just Leading Up To This (the title track of the band’s current album) hits home with intent before the rumbling riffs and mystical keys take over. The bulk of Bison’s material is written by Gilmour Smith. Mercy calls for a rapid ball busting vocal delivery. Sloway quips ‘it’s only right you help me sing this as you wrote it John’. He duly obliges, sparing the need for an oxygen tank to be delivered to the stage. In contrast Chemicals infectious hook embeds itself in your brain as a ‘natural reaction’ creates a bond that cannot be broken. The listeners, no longer an audience, have become a congregation at the church of Bison Hip. The band become an orchestra as they comtinue with the enthralling seven minute plus epic Imposter which slowly builds to a dramatic finish. Sloway’s vocal is breathtaking as we soar skywards with Gilmour Smith’s guitar whilst Radziwonik’s keys touch your soul throughout this story of achievements and progress in life. I Forgot To Tell My Heart That You Were Gone displays the quality of Radziwonik’s ivory skills once again and culminates with exceptional harmony vocals.
Bison Hip don’t do covers but display plenty of Bo Diddley influences on Mountain with a chunky rhythm which you will soon find ‘living in your head rent free’. The band express their appreciation of Diseworth’s first class audience before launching into Stronger with its harmony vocals and neat Button sticks work. Polished and functioning as a unit they display their cohesiveness with The Bullfighter. Every member of the band on top of their game as they create an incredible soundscape, be it the crying refrains of Gilmour Smith’s guitar, the soothing expressive ‘heart full of bitterness’ Sloway vocal, the subtle tones of the rhythm section, Radziwonik’s jazz tinged keys or the whispered harmonies of “I’m sorry”. Nothing to be sorry about lads… The audience reply with a cheer that raises the rafters. With performances like this it’s clear to see why Bison Hip have just been revealed as a top 5 nominee for Emerging Artist in the UK Blues Federation’s awards.
The high standard is maintained throughout the punchy Nothing More, Nothing Less with a superb Carswell bass solo, an explosion of keys and further wizardry on guitar before the audience is left Defenceless by a catchy slab of funky grooviness. The band have the audience eating out their hand now so ask where do they go after the gig, are there any house parties to be had. They haven’t finished yet though. One final tear jerker – This Old City. Influenced partly by Glasgow, partly by family, Bison Hip’s bluesiest tune pulls on the heartstrings. The atmospheric keys and guitar lead us through the pain and rain of the streets culminating in an audience sing along. An enthralling night finishes with the bands first single from March 2022’s Dear Greens And Blues EP. This Time brings the set to a close gently with a final flurry of vocal harmonies accompanying keyboards underpinned by exceptional Button/Carswell rhythms. Gilmour Smith won’t let us forget him as he finishes with an extended guitar break. I look forward to further bison migrations south of the border. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming gigs and festival appearances. Join the herd. Follow the Bison.
