The Blueswater
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom | SELF
Music
Press
Spanning an impressive 90 years of blues, from its roots and founders to 21st Century contemporaries, The Blueswater Collective are back at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, exploring the incredible history of blues by storming through a selection of the very best that the prolific music genre has to offer. Delivering classics from the blues legends such as Muddy Waters, BB King, Big Momma Thornton and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the young but incredibly talented band evoke the very spirit of blues through their performance.
Frontman Felipe Schrieberg’s vocal delivery of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ was so demonic and theatrical that it would make Screamin’ Jay Hawkins himself proud. The five-piece brass section had incredibly natural talent both together and as soloists, while female vocalists Ellie Mason and Anna McDonald added more sass to the gig with their renditions of Big Momma Thornton’s original ‘Hound Dog’ and Clapton’s ‘All Your Love’. Lead guitarist Charlie Wild’s effortless shredding did incredible justice to legends such as Clapton, Hendrix and Ray Vaughan.
Progressing through time, the 13-strong collective go on to explore the realms of rock ‘n’ roll and funk, with stellar performances of Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’ before looking at the relevance of blues in the 21st Century. Crediting the likes of The Black Keys and Seasick Steve as acts currently flying the blues flag high, Schrieberg describes Jack White as ‘the most influential bluesman of today’ before the band offer their take on ‘I’m Shakin’’, a song from the former White Stripes frontman’s debut solo album, Blunderbuss.
Playing out their high-octane set with a full band performance of Muddy Waters’ ‘Got My Mojo Working’, which includes a washboard solo from drummer Paul Archibald and a duel to the death from trumpeters Luc Klein and TJ Muller, The Blueswater Collective ensure that, were there any concern about blues’ place in this new generation, they have most definitely eradicated it. 5/5 - Broadway Baby
Think bags of energy and some seriously good music, and you will begin to get the gist of what ‘Blues!’ provides. From Willie Dickson’s ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, to Big Mamma Thornton’s ‘Hound Dog’, this performance is the most entertaining lesson in blues you could hope for; the lead singer puts true fans’ knowledge to the test, using facts about all the big names to provide effective and informed introductions to the songs. As each musician showcases their instrument through short solos, it becomes evident that they are a very talented bunch. With a brass section to raise your pulse, and songs to get you quite literally up and dancing, this show demonstrates the inspiring power that live music can have. 5/5 - Three Weeks
Spanning an impressive 90 years of blues, from its roots and founders to 21st Century contemporaries, The Blueswater Collective are back at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, exploring the incredible history of blues by storming through a selection of the very best that the prolific music genre has to offer. Delivering classics from the blues legends such as Muddy Waters, BB King, Big Momma Thornton and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the young but incredibly talented band evoke the very spirit of blues through their performance.
Frontman Felipe Schrieberg’s vocal delivery of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ was so demonic and theatrical that it would make Screamin’ Jay Hawkins himself proud. The five-piece brass section had incredibly natural talent both together and as soloists, while female vocalists Ellie Mason and Anna McDonald added more sass to the gig with their renditions of Big Momma Thornton’s original ‘Hound Dog’ and Clapton’s ‘All Your Love’. Lead guitarist Charlie Wild’s effortless shredding did incredible justice to legends such as Clapton, Hendrix and Ray Vaughan.
Progressing through time, the 13-strong collective go on to explore the realms of rock ‘n’ roll and funk, with stellar performances of Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’ before looking at the relevance of blues in the 21st Century. Crediting the likes of The Black Keys and Seasick Steve as acts currently flying the blues flag high, Schrieberg describes Jack White as ‘the most influential bluesman of today’ before the band offer their take on ‘I’m Shakin’’, a song from the former White Stripes frontman’s debut solo album, Blunderbuss.
Playing out their high-octane set with a full band performance of Muddy Waters’ ‘Got My Mojo Working’, which includes a washboard solo from drummer Paul Archibald and a duel to the death from trumpeters Luc Klein and TJ Muller, The Blueswater Collective ensure that, were there any concern about blues’ place in this new generation, they have most definitely eradicated it. - Broadway Baby
The hour-long musical and cultural immersion created by the Blueswater Collective would have received a perfect five stars if they had started as strongly as they finished. There was a feeling of irritation with the time it took the band to get going. It almost felt like they had forgotten to warm-up in the panic of the get-in and, as a result, the energy was lost at the beginning.
Despite these teething problems, musically this is an amazing show. The small venue gives the audience a feeling of intimacy you would normally only experience at a jam session, yet the songs were performed with a sense of the epic. The show follows a vague plot, whizzing the viewer through a blues tutorial that spans the best part of 80 years. They begin with the soft acoustic notes of the lead singer, and develop into a range of rock and roll, and funk. The set features many timeless works by Eric Clapton, Elvis, and Big Mama Thornton before finishing on Muddy Waters.
The group also get progressively bigger, jumping from a two to a twelve-person band which included the fittingly soulful vocals of two female backing singers and a stick-twirling drummer. Music comes naturally to the band as the guitarists’ instruments seem an extension of their own arms and the brass component brought glorious warmth to the overall performance. Their engagement with the audience was equally effective as their professional but relaxed style was rewarded with a standing ovation at the end of the night, and there was a modest but eager crowd gathered outside the venue in order to catch a glimpse of the band.
Despite a few glitches, everyone in the audience was beaming by the end of the night; even the grumpy old men in the front row could not resist singing and clapping along. I overheard one audience member say they wished there had been a dance floor, a suggestion Blueswater should perhaps consider for their career after the Fringe... (4/5) - Broadway Baby
In this age of dubstep and grindcore, it’s sometimes too easy to forget the very roots of today’s popular music. So it’s very reassuring to know that there are still young musicians such as the Blueswater Collective that are keeping the very spirit of the blues alive and well. With only an hour to fill, the 11 strong band soar through an array of classic blues tunes, spanning 9 decades, including hits from blues legends Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton, Chuck Berry and Stevie Ray Vaughn, to name but a few. With their incredibly impressive solos and big band swagger, the group has the crowd dancing and cheering for more. Who needs techno when you’ve got the blues? (5/5) - Three Weeks
Discography
Album:
The Blueswater (self-titled) - June 1st release
Photos
Bio
Born in Aikmans’ Bar and Bistro four years ago in St. Andrews, The Blueswater is now one of Scotland’s hottest young Rhythm & Blues bands. The Blueswater exists to make an audience dance. Wild solos, improvised jams and puddles of sweat are a staple of every gig.
The band began out of a weekly blues jam night that was held in the union of the University of Edinburgh. Originally a student band playing pubs and the many St. Andrews balls, the band decided to move to Edinburgh and professionalize the sound that they were playing.
In August 2011, The Blueswater successfully put on its very own show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. ‘Blues!’ was a history of the entire blues genre in an hour, beginning with delta blues and covering as many seminal artists as possible throughout the 100+ years that blues music has been around. A successful run in 2011 led to even greater acclaim in August 2012. Last summer, the show received only 5 star reviews from a number of publications and a Spirit of the Fringe Award, given only to shows that epitomize the hard work and quality put together by independent groups at the Fringe.
In their first year based in Edinburgh, The Blueswater has managed to play some of the city’s best clubs, including the Voodoo Rooms and The Jazz Bar, and has played at the 2012 Dundee Blues Bonanza. Later this year, they are due to play at the Kelburn Garden Party, and support New Orleans' own Hot 8 Brass Band. They also released their first self-titled album ‘The Blueswater’ last June, showcasing a dynamic sound that varies from blues to funk to afrobeat.
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