The Joy of Sax (From Western Telegraph)

The Joy of Sax

As the first two songs informed us - he's a soul man and he wanted to entertain us. And Fat Barry, and his soul band, did a pretty good job.

The Withybush Pavilion was packed and the dancefloor full. They ran through classic soul standards of the past 40 years from James Brown and Wilson Pickett to, er, Robbie Williams and Phil Collins.

Barry gave it his all and was an impressive frontman, but the real stars of the show were the band. As well as the usual drums, keyboard, bass and lead-guitar the stage sagged under the weight of saxophone, trombone, trumpet and the obligatory attractive backing singers.

As the night wore on, the band dispersed into the appreciative crowd and clambered onto the tables, each taking their turn in the spotlight. All were fantastic.

Especially good was the saxophonist who cornered individual members of the audience and performed just inches from their faces - giving a whole new meaning to 'sax solo'.

A good time was had by all, except the guy in the long coat who stood at the bar smoking and nursing one pint all evening - he didn't seem to enjoy it that much.

But, hey, you can't please everyone. For my part I recommend you seek out Barry (he's the one in the sweat-drenched bandana) at Paddles nightclub, Pembroke, on Thursday March 25th.

Andrew Penman