The stage is set with an upright piano, saxophones, and what looks like a mad professor’s laboratory for percussion instruments. Arriving into this mise-en-scène, Duke Special and his court of six musicians make an instant visual impact, looking like a mash-up between a 19th Century vaudeville act, a Charlie Chaplin tribute group and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
While some artists are keen to disown their hits in favour of playing only new material at every gig, Duke Special mixes it up nicely and is grateful for the positive crowd reaction to the I Never Thought This Day Would Come songs in the set. With typically impeccable manners, he tells the crowd, “the best thing about going to see a covers band is you don’t have to suffer their new material. There’s a modicum of truth to that, but I like these songs, so thank you for listening.” However, with superb tracks such as ‘Nothing Comes Easy’ and ‘These Proverbs We Made In Winter Must End’, there’s little to suffer through here.
The familiar tunes include a stonking version of ‘Our Love Goes Deeper Than This’ and a hauntingly pared-down ‘Freewheel.’ Signing off with a fantastic cover of The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’ and the brilliant ‘Last Night I Nearly Died’, we’re witness to a performer at the height of his powers, and an ensemble that really knows how to re-invent the humble provincial gig. Oh, and if human cloning becomes a reality in the near future, my first suggestion is percussionist Chip Bailey... 'cos every band should have one!