Live Therapy. Robin Bibi
Band.
Review By Stephanie Thorburn
A distinguished musical ensemble and pedigree mark
out The Robin Bibi band, who grace the now slightly troubled haunts of
London’s traditional ‘intimate’ music venues. Live
Therapy is a comprehensive album born of Robin’s preoccupation
for reproducing accurate delivery of classics from the cult tripos of
Hendrix, The Beatles and much-revered early Fleetwood Mac. The new album
was recorded at five venues and is an eclectic mixture of Bibi originals
and traditional blues-rock epics. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to a
live incarnation of John Mizarolli’s band ‘Axe Phenomenon’
(Voodoo Issue 19), Robin is apparently not fully aware
of this, nor according to some blues press reviewers, the fact that all
in sundry have been overworking these sublime standard tracks since the
advent of the pub music scene. A little dismissive I suspect. Mr. Bibi
has to his credit an aficionado’s biography together with a considerable
‘dues paying’ process behind him, mediating his understanding
and selection of repertoire pleasers. Backing Robert Plant, Jimmy Page,
Ben E King and Helen Shapiro on guitar has made him a highly seasoned
professional, whilst also being a popular performer, his enduring CV had
not always been fully acknowledged by the cynics.
Since the Bibi band formed in 1996, there has been
a solid output of consistent merit comprising two albums of hand penned
material by Robin and his fine but sadly deceased colleague Brian Holmes,
who wrote the seminal A Tribute To Fast. Bibi’s fluent
songwriting skills are equally finely tuned on the intuitively titled
album Language Of Your Soul, whilst his personal back catalogue
is executed synonymously with some truly coherent ‘covers’
and crowd pleasers on the new live double CD. Jon Bankes, Hans Ferrao
and Tony Marten provide a notably sophisticated rhythm section, together
with some entertaining humour and a suitably impressive bass line by Bankes
on ‘Oh Well’.
It was as they say, an ‘honest musical revelation’
to have the opportunity of a concrete discussion with Robin about his
musical persuasions, song writing and distinguished ‘CV’ when
I recently interviewed him for Voodoo. A firm
foundation cast into blues, Robin cites Peter Green as his first formative
influence, and a focal point from which we might appreciate the ability
of a musician who expresses with a single note what others struggle to
achieve in a dozen. The BB Band are indeed therefore a little ‘top
heavy’ on Mac, but all that is set to change with the expansion
of Robin’s song writing towards a new ‘original’ album
in the near future. Such satisfying phrases as, “from the heart”
and “full on” are fundamental beliefs in his approach to song
writing as a spontaneous craft. As he speaks, Robin evokes a visual terrain
which transports us from the present to the escapism of the Missisippi
Delta, where “fish fries and juke joints” form the basis of
his spiritual retreat and an atmosphere of ‘fun’ and catharsis
that Mr Bibi tries to capture in his own authentic performances. A thorough
commitment to artistic fusion, as his back catalogue implies, there are
no simple pale reproductions of connoisseur’s heroes such as the
Fabulous Thunderbirds in sight. In future we can instead anticipate a
clean improvised repertoire drawn from jazz, blues, country and rock &
roll offerings.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the interview
was my interjections to probe Robin’s experiences of playing gigs
with the great and good. In return I received a series of wonderfully
graphic and gritty anecdotes from Ibiza to the punk culture of London’s
Electric Ballroom, where his most stark memory was fleeing the stage in
company of agent provocateur ‘Auntie Puss’! Indeed the 1980’s
were probably the most fruitful period for Robin Bibi when he found himself
part of the Pretty Things regular line up. It was at this time that he
performed three dream gigs with Page and Plant as their backing band.
With a degree of pride, Robin recounted for me these truly priceless moments:
- “He may not remember, but I certainly do. It was full on with
Page, he was great from the moment the lights went up, he broke a string,
so I gave him my guitar to carry on…and Robert Plant, he was just
a great straight down the line person.” Ben E King was also remembered
from this time with affection as a “fun cabaret, nice cool and polite”
influence.
Trading licks with the likes of Jimmy Page is certainly
a career highlight to be savoured, although Robin admits he would like
to be more selective about the sheer quantity of small venues jams which
he plays in the UK, having now fulfilled a comprehensive ‘dues paying’
process. Perceiving the London scene as currently “chugging along”,
Robin agrees that the very fabric of such traditional pubs and clubs is
currently subject to some frustrating challenges. Doubtless, there is
a presence of real talent in form of artists such as sixteen year old
‘guitar prodigy’ Andy Cortes, and Jack Bruce’s son Malcolm.
After a point however, ‘playing out’ seems to hold less appeal
to high calibre musicians on the London circuit.
Multi-venue promoter Pete Feenstra is the first
to put Robin’s observation in context, insisting that we now exist
at a time where new musical talent in the UK has not demised, but has
actually improved and got “better and better”. The venues
which once supported the likes of Yardbirds, Clapton, Beck and John Mayall’s
Bluesbreakers, are now ironically facing a crises in confidence through
a series of factors which Feenstra cites including recent changes to licensing
laws, a lack of record company investment, lack of radio play or consistent
engagement from a broad sector of the press. Such album treats as Robin
Bibi’s current CD, Live Therapy must therefore to be cherished in
providing us with a record of our live musical heritage from an expert
hand. Just say the words Django Reinhardt, Joe Satriani and Robert Johnson
to Robin Bibi and you will receive a little bit more than faint acknowledgement,
rather a sophisticated integration of forms, together with Bibi’s
very own breed of ‘Vampire Blues’, (Track 9- CD Two.).
Copyright Stephanie Thorburn 2003.
Voodoo Music Magazine - February
2004.
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