The Fortunate Sons

The Fortunate Sons have been turning heads around Glasgow for the past three years. It seems now that they are going places. Ironically they seem to have become style icons. But it wasn't about style tonight. It was about the music.

Rooted deeply in rhythm and blues, this Glasgow group have succeeded in rejuvenating roots music, albeit on a local level, and this was proven tonight. A tightly-knit act, their years of honing their music have clearly paid off. Pop sensibility shone through on "Poets", while "She Comes Around" felt like a blend of blues and celtic influences. The band repeatedly took their enthusiasm to the crowd, much to their delight. "This Train" was frantic and exciting and a version of "Folsom Prison Blues" ensured that the audience would get no sleep.

Satisfied with the events of the evening, I decided to call it a night, finding a pint of Guinness en route to the bus station. - Peter McGee

THE FORTUNATE SONS Queen Of Hearts ***

These Glasgow rockers sit nicely alongside Springsteen and Petty so they'll be hoping this release takes them a little further down the line. - Daily record

THE FORTUNATE SONS

Smokie Blues Event for Haiti, Arbroath 07/03/2010

The pick of the artists on this daylong charity event were Glasgow based The Fortunate Sons. Their music hails from a range of sources as diverse as Peter Green, Johnny Cash and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Previously the band featured a fiddle player, yet reduced now to a quartet, their approach to this show was to play to their strengths and take no prisoners as they commenced with the powerful ‘Electric Nights’. ‘Say Nothing’ showed classifications about this music are hard to make. The harmonised chorus sounds like Ray Charles, the Blues riff that supports it, more like Rory Gallagher, while on top of it all is the vocals of front man Sam West, which bare comparison with John Fogerty and Paul Rodgers. He led an emotionally tinged version of Little Willie John’s ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ with Callum McCann providing a poignant guitar solo. The atmospheric ‘Slave Train’, co written with producer Kim Fowley, showed they have original songs just as good. Another ace was current single ‘Queen of Hearts’ with its catchy riff and upbeat chorus, fusing elements of that timeless sound from artists as diverse in timeframe as The Rolling Stones and The Kings of Leon. As a consequence, the assured performance of songs like ‘Walk On Fire’ or the pulsating version of Terry Reid’s ‘Rich Kid Blues’, found wide appeal and admiration. They eased into the melodic ‘Coming Down’, as West’s vocals resonated with some measured slide guitar from McCann. Closing the set was the frantic pulsating ‘This Train’ with superb vocal harmonies and a pounding backbeat from bass player Cameron Maxwell and drummer Gary Johnston. From the applause that ended their set it was clear the band had won many new fans on this showing.

Duncan Beattie - Blues matters

It would be an absolute sin not to mention Docherty's opening act, The Fortunate Sons; they certainly didn't help his own reception, which was perhaps unavoidably seemed lacklustre after their own energetic set. By gum, they'd had their Irn-Bru for the day. Although ABC2 is a small venue for a band with such a large sound, Sam West's gorgeously calorific vocals almost made me guilty with pleasure. Moreover, the atmosphere was utter fun: this was back-to basics, truly enjoyable Americana reminiscent of Dylan's Desire, finished with bluesy vocal harmonies that just glued the whole sound together. The band gave you the feel of being at some illegal barn dance, finding you'd drunk too much moonshine and snogged your second cousin, but not before chasing a few pigs around for comic effect. No less skill though: this band have been around for more than eight years, and you can hear it.
Hold your breath for their debut album, which features the bluesily ironic 'Slave Chain,' and 'Get Away'. Like Docherty, their music is fundamentally uncomplicated, but it is definitely worth a live listen for the atmosphere alone. There's always time for a quickie, and although The Fortunate Sons are definitely worth your time, be warned: you might feel like it should have lasted just that wee bit longer before you were satisfied. - Brazen