The Boom Band

One of the most enjoyable gigs I attended last year was the Boom Band New Year’s special at the Half Moon in Putney where the Boom Band were joined by a host of other friends such as Ron Sayer, Roscoe Levee, Artie Zaitz alongside the regular members Jon Amor, Marcus Bonfanti, Paddy Milner and Matt Taylor.
The band are essentially a pick up band who all have ‘regular gigs’ but when they play together the results are exceptional.

This album was recorded at the Half Moon in Putney in early September with Mark Butcher in the line up and featuring Evan Jenkins (drums) and Jon Noyce (bass).

The album has the feel of a bunch of mates jamming but the quality of the players is such that although they are loose and relaxed the grooves and the heart in the music is tight and when they stretch out they make a noise like almost no other British band.

Marcus Bonfanti’s vocals are, as usual, dark and strong, while Mark Butcher and Paddy Milner both have great voices too. Between Jon Amor, Mark Butcher, Bonfanti and Matt Taylor the guitars are pretty well taken care of and Paddy Milner’s keyboards add some richness to the sound.

They cover straight Blues, ballads, swamp/New Orleans but there is always an underlying passion for music on show and whether they are playing a number such as ‘Junko Partner’ with a rollicking piano lead or the dark funk of ‘Waste My Time’ or the old-style Blues of ‘Rooster Blues’ the band are cooking on high heat and playing with a smile and heart.

What you have here is basically a bunch of mates jamming and playing for their own amusement – and for the packed crowd – but the talents on show make it an event.
This captures a single moment but with the wide and various talents available to the band any time they get together is likely to be something special.