REVIEW OF HARRY MANX CONCERT 9 JANUARY 2004

HARRY MANX - CORNER HOTEL - 9 JANUARY 2004

Virtuoso musician Harry Manx thrilled his fans with a heart-warming performance at the Corner Hotel on Friday night on 9 January 2004.

The audience, a well disposed and respectful crowd, were entertained by a range of songs from the Harry Manx repertoire comprising original compositions as well as covers from artists like Jimmi Hendrix, Van Morrison and Muddy Waters.

Playing his distinctive blend of Indian influenced Blues on a variety of instruments, and sounding like a virtual one-man-band, Manx performed for three hours with a short break half way through. He opened the show with "Baby Please Don't Go" from his first album Dog My Cat accompanying his warm vocals on a lap slide guitar. "Brick and Stone" also from Dog My Cat followed.

He then brought out his banjo and giving the instrument an Indian raga beat sang "Don't' Forget to Miss Me" from his second album Wise and Otherwise and "The Thrill is Gone".

Harry Manx at the Corner - photo by AS

Switching his instrument to the 20 string Mohan Veena, a sort of enhanced guitar with a sitar like sound he sang a bluesy version of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and one of his own compositions "Hold on Down" and a new song called "Stirring in the Breeze".

Back on the lap slide guitar he performed "Coat of Mail" and, in what Manx termed Indian Bluegrass, a brilliant version of "Sitting on Top of the World".

After the break, he played 10 more songs, the highlights being "Make Way for the Living", a lovely lilting tune, "Long Black Veil" which he has recorded for a Johnny Cash Blues Tribute "Johnny's Blues", "Foxy Lady" a sort of Indian tinged version of the Hendrix classic , pretending to smash his guitar a la Hendrix afterwards.

Hardly likely!

Harry Manx with Banjo (photo by AS)
Manx explained that his guitar was an old Martin which originally had belonged to a member of the Bachman Turner Overdrive band. Muddy Waters' "I Can't Be Satisfied" ended the set.

The night was rounded off by two encores the first being another Hendrix number "Voodoo Child" and "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" a request from a member of the audience.

Harry Manx was a great favourite at the Port Fairy Folk Festival last year. It is easy to see why. He will be returning to Australia in March and will be performing at the East Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Byron Bay in April and will be doing a few shows in Melbourne as well. Be sure to catch him - he's a great performer and a consummate musician.

Website: www.harrymanx.com

HARRY MANX DISCOGRAPHY
DOG MY CAT (2000)
WISE AND OTHERWISE (2002)
JUBILEE (2003)
ROAD RAGAS (LIVE CD 2003)

Anne Sydenham 2004

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