Winter Blues banished for another year (From Western Telegraph)

Winter Blues banished for another year

Live review: Brian Kramer and the Couchlizards, Queens Hall, Narberth, February 25th

Back in October the Queens Hall launched its Winter Blues Series to see us through the colder months, and with spring nearly upon us Brian Kramer wrapped it up warmly.

With perfect symmetry the opening and closing acts of the series both featured eye-catching steel-bodies National guitars.

Catfish Keith, who opened the run, performed Delta blues with lashings of bottle neck, then in November Otis Grand brought with him his band for a big electric sound.

In January Eddie Martin, fast becoming a Queens Hall regular, kicked off an evening of hot sultry southern blues.

Come February it was The Hamsters turn and they didn't drop a gear with yet another energetic performance of the blistering blues rock for which they are renowned.

The final act in the Winter Blues Series consisted of - one American, one Canadian, two and a half Swedes and half a Greek - not delegates from the Olympic committee, but Brian Kramer and the Couchlizards.

From the mellow beginnings of acoustic guitar, harmonica and mandolin (for the style conscious, these were the three hat wearers) the set developed, as bass and drums were added, into a gloriously effortless, laid-back, folk-touched country blues celebration, with great tunes, stunningly crafted.

Themes covered ranged from an appreciation of one's spouse sung by Brian, to the bitterness of divorce as delivered by Mats with the lyrics "I've got rocks in my heart......we both ran out of trust."

There were no egos on stage, as none of the musicians tried to outdo each other and Kramer came across as a genuinely humorous warm hearted guy.

But for me the star of the show was the shiniest sexiest guitar I've ever seen - the steel-bodies National guitar - which caught the light and shot shimmering beams of colour into the audience. And it sounded pretty good too.

Altogether a great night of uplifting winter blues, without a depressive in sight.