Every once in a while you go to a gig that gloriously delivers everything that the pre -gig hype wants you to believe. In the case of Skinny Molly, there wasn’t too much Molly Hatchett – guitarist Dave Hlubek having rejoined Hatchett before this Skinny Molly tour hit the road - but of course there was plenty of the excellent former Lynyrd Skynyrd's guitarist Mike Estes.
In truth Hlubek’s absence was barely noticed as in the true traditions of good old boy Southern Rock, Mike made a call and up stepped the equally impressive Keith Wayne from Florida. Playing an integral part in the band’s mesmerising twin guitar attack, Keith also dazzled on slide guitar in a gloriously understated way that believe it or not was almost a metaphor for the way this band approach their job.
Let’s face it how many guitarist in the world can rightfully hit the road as Mike Estes has done knowing that at some point in the night you are going to deliver the ultimate brace of rock anthems, “Sweet Home Alabama” and the climactic “Freebird”, let alone such live favourites as “Mr Saturday Night Special” and “Call Me The Breeze”. The band duly delivered in full, almost slipping unnoticed into the big hitters as they had been preceded by some excellent self penned material from the band’s song writing team of Mike Estes and drummer Kurt Pietro.
Highlights included the ZZ Top style boogie of “She’s Rockin’” and the Storyville style Texas Rocker “Straight Shooter”. And if this set sounds as if it was derived from the very best that American Southern Rock has given us, then you are not far wrong. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Cold Shot” was dusted down, and reignited by some scintillating twin guitar interplay and sterling vocals from bass player Gary Nutt. An even more unlikely manic version of “Crossroads” followed, and from then on the gig was one big Southern Rock frenzy
And really if there is one reason why Skinny Molly blew the roof off Beards Blues on the night, it had everything to do with the band’s passion and their enduring love for classic Southern Rock that they play so well. Molly delivered blues shuffles, boogie, and rock and roll aplenty, punctuating numbers with some big toned solo’s that were as effective as they were concise.
In an industry where egos and hype all too often rule the roost, Skinny Molly took us back to the roots of good time Southern Rock. Great songs, great playing, Marshall amps, long hair, a twin guitar attack and a wild crowd, it’s enough to bring a lump to your throat!
Pete Feenstra