Centaur Parting – Joined by Chris Slade from AC/DC at The Star in Ashford
LINE UP
Steve Glasscock – vocals
James Cornford – guitar
Mike Clark – keyboard
Andy Crosby – bass
James Plows – drums
Centaur Parting are a 5 piece classic rock band that play covers ranging from 60’s right through to the 90’s. They perform covers of Thin Lizzy, Creed, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac etc etc. and put their own individual slant on numbers as diverse as hits from Michael Jackson to The Temptations.
At the very start of this gig, chatting to the band, it was very evident that Steve had a very nasty cold and probably should have been tucked up in bed and that the band themselves were pretty worn out. This is always a little concerning for a reviewer as to what will come but no, it needn’t have been! Firstly I should explain why they were worn out. With AC/DC drummer Chris Slade forming The Chris Slade Timeline band to celebrate his 50 years of being a professional drummer, they have currently just finished a pretty hardcore tour covering many miles in few days. Steven Glasscock, James Cornford and Mike Clark were part of that tour and it was clear that the miles had taken a bit of a toll. However, they were still very up for this gig, proving the professional musicians that they are.
The first set of the evening starts and everyone instantly shuffles forward, its obvious this band play here often and are known well by the locals. The gig had a real intimate feel to it and at first I almost felt like I was encroaching on something very private, not due to feeling unwelcome by any stretch, but due to the personal feel to it. It’s obvious from the start that this is not going to be your usual Saturday night covers band gig. A short while into the start of set one and in walked Chris Slade himself to watch the band, right then you knew it was likely this gig was going to take a turn.
So the first set was fairly uneventful, as in that a pretty normal performance ensued although with a more relaxed feeling than I suspect would normally be the case. It’s hard to judge having not seen the band before, but they definitely seemed to be ‘jamming with friends’ more than performing to an audience of fans as such. However, if this is jamming then wow I want more!
It’s not hard to see why Chris Slade choose the musicians he did to tour with him. Steve’s vocals are both powerful and soulful all at once and I have to say that James is one of the most talented guitarists I have ever seen! The most amazing guitar intrumentals came thick and fast throughout the night and at one point I could have dropped to my knees to worship in awe! The band have the ability to play classics and put their own unique spin on them without taking anything away from the original. Every instrument can be heard with clarity which is quite rare these days at pub gigs and you can clearly hear what each musician is bringing to the songs.
A break follows and then relaxed, the band come up for set two and this is where is all changes! The whole atmosphere and the bands attitude to the gig seem to have changed a little and I’m very glad I stuck around for the second half. This set becomes about having fun, kicking back and letting off steam off the back of a hard tour. The band indulge themselves, mixing the set around, changing the sounds of tracks half way through into jazzy, prog sounds, instrumentals galore and a front man who wanders off frequently to sit in the audience and just watch his band play! At one point the guitarist starts to drink his pint mid song, so front-man Steve leans over and plucks away at his guitar for him until his ready to start again!
Then something entirely unexpected happens. The band ask Chris to come on stage and play a song with them. He steps up and the awesome James Plows, very gracefully and happily steps aside for what then turns into a fair few songs. Smiling away the band have great fun together and so do the audience. The end of the set turned out not to be the end or even close to it. Having completely relaxed and at the screaming request of the crowd, they go on to perform a good few songs more. Slipping in a rendition of Don’t Stop Believing and Delilah produced a great amount of audience participation. Delilah brings the band toe stepping dancing and Chris Slade standing, singing along drumming with the biggest smile on his face.
What should have been a review, seems to have turned into my long winded account of the evening, but I guess that just goes to show how awesome the gig was. All in the all the band and the audience had a lot of fun and although I suspect it was not their usual set, I’m delighted to have been a part of it. I came home singing songs from the evening and still in complete awe of some of the guitar instrumentals that I had witnessed. This is a band I will be going to see again, next time… for fun!
Review by Sarah Quinn – GIGgle Pics & Kent Sessions
Find the Band on Facebook
The Chris Slade Timeline on Facebook
The Star pub – Ashford
Here follows just a couple of photo’s taken from the evening, you don’t want to miss the others so please head over to Facebook, this gig only for the rest.
GIGglepics 